Stocks are foundation of cuisine

Cooking Class:

Stocks are foundation of cuisine

 By Kurt Michael Friese



There is nothing that is more essential to the understanding of cooking than stock. It is the basis on which all else is built.

Canned broths and bouillon cubes have replaced stock in many homes, but the depth a homemade stock can add to a soup or sauce is unmatched.

While stocks need to simmer on the stove for long periods of time, the attention needed from the cook is quite minimal. As for the cost, most stocks are made from leftovers and a few cheap vegetables.

Three basic recipes can be used and varied to suit your needs and your pantry. Once a stock is finished, it can be kept in the refrigerator for three to four days, or in the freezer for up to six months.

Freeze stock in "Ziploc-style" freezer bags. Be sure to cool it, quickly and completely, before ladling into the bags. Freeze bags perfectly flat until they are solid; then they can be moved around as needed.

Label each with a date and type of stock. A nifty trick, especially for singles, is to freeze some stock in plastic ice cube trays. Once they are frozen solid they can be turned out and placed in Ziplocs, to be used one at a time for sauces and much more.

A classic white stock is made from the breast meat of chicken, chicken bones and aromatic vegetables such as leek, celery, carrot and onion. In this variation the classic is simplified and can easily be scaled up or down.

Roughly chop two large yellow onions, two carrots and three stalks of celery. Combined, these three make up what is called a "mirepoix" (pronounced meer-pwah). A mirepoix is found in nearly all stocks and is usually in the ratio of 2:1:1 by volume of onion:carrot:celery.

Place these in a large stockpot; 10 to 12 quarts is best for home stock making. Add all the bones, neck and giblets from a whole chicken. Add two sprigs of parsley, a crushed clove of garlic and three to five black peppercorns. Add enough water to cover and place on the stove over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer, and then reduce heat to just barely maintain that simmer.

Skim the foam and solids from the top and set a timer for one hour.

After an hour, skim the surface again, and enjoy the marvelous aroma you have created. Set the timer for one hour again. Repeat this process a third time.

At this point, taste the stock. It will be sweet and seem to need a lot of salt, but resist the temptation to add any salt. A stock's flavor will change and intensify as it is cooked, so do not salt until the final soup or sauce is done.

Strain through your finest strainer and store. You may wish to refrigerate overnight, thus making it easy to remove the fat that will solidify on top, and then continue with the freezing process.

Variations: Try this recipe with the carcass from one of those ready-to-eat roasted chickens from the supermarket. Also, try using duck, pheasant or your holiday turkey.

Lightly coat 3 to 4 pounds of beef bones in olive oil. Place the bones in a shallow baking dish and roast in a 350-degree oven for about 45 minutes, turning once or twice. When they are a rich brown, remove and place in a large stockpot with the same ingredients as with the chicken stock. It also goes through the same simmering process, but if the bones are larger it may take longer.

Variations: For an even richer stock, use veal bones instead of beef. Lamb can be useful exclusively for lamb dishes. Also, a little red wine never hurt anything.

Similar, but not quite the same as the first two, fish stock is a somewhat temperamental beast.

First of all, use only the bones and head from lean white fish such as cod or bass. Also, never use the gills; they produce a very bitter broth. Another major difference is to exclude the carrots, as they will discolor the broth. Most importantly, a fish stock should only simmer 30 to 40 minutes; overcooking can ruin the flavor irreparably.

With those changes in mind, proceed with the same methods as before.

Variations: Try it with shrimp or lobster shells for extra richness. Add a little white wine or lemon juice if desired.