For Elizabeth M., with aromatics

[debgeisler]

Over the years, I've put some recipes here, mostly those recipes which we've modified from the original, so we remember what we did. This recipe comes from The New Basics Cookbook, a splendid work by Julee Rosso and the late Sheila Lukins. We got the cookbook as a gift at our wedding shower, and it is one of our three favorite cookbooks.

We got married in 1991, and in 1993, I went to Spain and lived in Madrid for four months...without Mike. He visited for one week (not enough), we were both terribly bored without each other (he watched the Westminster Dog Show!), and we both spent a lot of money on phone calls. (While we had email, there was no Web, and no way to have online chats, save typed.) One weekend, I called Mike. The conversation went something like this:

Me: "Whatcha doin'?"

Mike: "Baking bones."

Me: "Um. Whose?"

This was the week or so before I came home, and Mike was starting what would become a tradition for us: making beef stock. Our later stocks would become the basis of our bœuf bourguignon(ish). What follows, then, is the recipe as we modified it from the original New Basics version. It makes a bit north of a gallon of stock. I post it here for my friend Elizabeth, who'd like a recipe to start with that she can also modify. :-) Because that's what we do.

Mike and Deb's Modified New Basics Beef Stock

2 large onions (about 1 3/4 pounds), unpeeled, cut into 8 pieces each

1/2 lb. leeks (white part and 3 inches green), well rinsed and cut into thirds(ish)

1 head garlic, unpeeled, halved crosswise

4 ribs celery with leaves, rinsed and cut into pieces

1 carrot, unpeeled, cleaned and sliced

5 lbs. beef marrow bones

2 lbs. beef shank, short ribs, etc.

1 lb. oxtail, cut into small(ish) pieces

1.5 gallons cold water

6-10 whole cloves

1 bay leaf

12 or more black peppercorns

1/2 bunch (1/4 ounce) fresh thyme (don't bother bundling this...really)

1 fresh hot chile pepper, such as jalapeño or serrano (whole, rinsed)

1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat it to 500°F.

2. Arrange all of the vegetables in a large, deep roasting pan, making sure they cover the bottom completely. Then arrange the beef bones and the oxtail over the vegetables. Roast on the upper rack of the oven for 1 hour. (Yeah, it will be pretty amazing smelling, and it will look like you've done something horribly wrong when you take it out of the oven and get to the veggies. No worries. Black is beautiful.)

3. Remove the pan from the oven, and transfer all of the bones and vegetables to a large stock pot (we use our 3 gallon stock pot for this; heavy-bottomed is best, but YMMV). Pour off all of the fat from the roasting pan. Don't save it at all. Add 1 quart of the water to the pan, and bring it to a full boil over high heat, scraping up all of the browned bits (or "yum yums") as you deglaze. Note that there is probably quite a bit of cooked-on onion, leek, garlic, etc., so get it all scraped up. (Use whatever tools work for you for this process. First, all of those yum yums help make a really good stock...and second, whatever you get off now you don't have to scrub off in the sink.) Pour this into the stock pot.

4. Add the remaining 1 1/4 gallons water, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme, and chile pepper. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises at this stage. Then lower the heat, stir, and cover. Simmer for 5 hours.

5. Remove the pot from the heat, and let the stock cool to room temperature undisturbed. (As a side note: we usually do this on Saturday, then leave it to cool over night on the powered-down stove. It really does take that long. Don't put it in the fridge.)

6. Take out all of the major big bits (a metal spider is great for this), then strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve or a strainer lined with a double layer of cheese cloth. (We opt for the cheese cloth and strainer combo, because the major ick goes into the trash afterward. Also, this will be quite a greasy task, so make sure you save running the dishwasher until you've finished this part.)

7. If you are going to use the stock right away, set it aside for 15 minutes to allow the fat to rise to the surface. Then degrease the stock completely, scooping the fat off with a shallow metal spoon.

8. If you are not going to use it immediately, refrigerate the cooled stock, and remove the hardened layer of fat from the top before you use the stock or before you freeze it.

Notes: There is no heat added by the pepper, just flavor. When you have to strain after it has cooled, be sure to have a leak-proof plastic trash bag available. And yes, it will look awful as you remove all of the cooked bits. But the smell is still pretty doggone wonderful. It freezes very, very well. It is likely to be quite jellied/aspic-y based on the marrow bones after chilling, so be careful how you pour.

This stock can also be used to make a pretty damned wonderful ersatz demi-glace. We used some for that purpose, then poured the demi-glace into ice cube trays. Any time we want added richness for a sauce or soup, we toss a couple of those bad boys in.

We also use our own stock as the basis for "The Sauce" - my sister Lib's port wine reduction which turns a basic roast or steak into something...much more sensual.

Bon Appetit!

Comments

[elizabeth mccarty (from livejournal.com)]

Thank you!

[debgeisler.livejournal.com]

:-) My pleasure.