Recipe - Beef Stock 101

5 pound Beef bones
4 lg Onions with skins; quartered
1 Head garlic; halved
crosswise
2 Carrots; cut in 2" pieces
3 Ribs celery; cut in 2"
pieces
1 cup Red wine
Boquet Garni: parsley;
thyme, bay leaves,
peppercorns and cloves
wrapped in cheesecloth
Cold water

Makes about 2 quarts

1. Heat oven to 450 degrees. Place bones in a roasting pan, and roast, 45
minutes, stirring occasionally. Add onions, garlic, carrots, and celery to
roasting pan. Return to oven until well browned, roasting for a total of 1
to 1 One half hours.

2. Remove roasting pan from oven, and transfer bones and vegetables to
large stockpot; discard any fat. Heat roasting pan on stove over high heat.
Add wine to deglaze, stirring to loosen any browned bits from bottom of
pan. Transfer to stockpot, and add bouquet garni, tying to handle of pot
for easy removal.

3. Add enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and reduce
to simmer. Cook for 7 to 8 hours, skimming frequently.

4. Strain the stock through a chinois or fine sieve into a large bowl or
pot, and set the bowl in an ice bath. When cool, cover and refrigerate
overnight.

5. Remove layer of fat from bowl or pot. Stock can be stored in
refrigerator for 3 days and frozen for up to 3 months.

The French word for stock, fond, translates literally as "foundation." And
it's a fact that stock is the foundation upon which to build a fine soup,
sauce, or stew.

Slowsimmered bones, vegetables, and herbs are the key elements in a
successful stock. With each passing hour, they give more of themselves to
the final product. Raw beef bones with some meatsuch as shanks, necks,
and shinsare good choices for stock. Add richness and color to the stock
by browning the bones and vegetables in the oven before simmering. After
roasting, scrape the pan well and add the scrapings to the stock pot. Then
deglaze the roasting pan with red wine and add the deglazing liquid to the
pot.

Moderately seasoning a stock with herbs and pepper enhances the flavor of
the final dish. But use whole peppercorns rather than ground pepper, which
can turn bitter after prolonged cooking. Most chefs avoid adding salt to a
stockit may become too salty as it reduces.

To keep stock clear, remember to simmer rather than boil, and frequently
skim away any foam that rises to the top during cooking. Clarify the stock
by straining it through a chinois, a conical metal sieve with an extremely
fine mesh, and chill the strained stock until remaining fat solidifies on
the surface. For perfectly strained stock, pour it through a sieve lined
with frozen cheesecloth.

Recipe by: Martha Stewart http://www.marthastewart.com

Posted to recipeludigest by "Valerie Whittle" catspaw@inetnow.net on Feb
21, 1998