In any event, these inclement winter days are perfect for indoor projects and there's nothing I love to cook more than a good stock. I model my ingredients loosely on Rebecca Katz's recipe in One Bite at a Time for her "magic mineral broth".
It's sort of clean out the refrigerator plus kombu seaweed, lots of root vegetables and a finishing dose of parsley (and I add in dandelion greens). The kombu and parsley are the "mineral" part.
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I was out of fresh thyme so only added bay leaves and juniper berries for seasoning (besides S&P). Cloves stuck in large onion chunks are also good. I cut an entire head of garlic in half and toss that in. I used chicken necks and backs to make this a chicken stock. I like the flavor and the gelatin.
After cooking about 2 hours and cooling, I strain all the solids and when they've cooled put them into plastic bags and freeze for later disposal. (not necessary for a vegetarian broth) I chilled the cooled strained (through cheese clothe) broth overnight to solidify the fat and skim it off.
For extra clarity I stir two lightly whipped egg whites into heated broth and let it come to a boil and then strain again. (Not sure if this results in any loss of nutrients.)
The finished product is golden and glistening. When cooled I pour into pint-sized glass jars and freeze.
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Approximate recipe:
In a large stock pot heat 2 Tbsp oil (your choice - coconut, olive, butter, etc.)
Chop and add:
1 large onion
1 leek
4 - 6 celery spears
1 fennel bulb
3 - 4 carrots
(add salt and stir - let wilt while you prepare the following)
Coarsely chop (1" - 2" chunks) about 8 cups root vegetables:
Celery root (or celeriac), sweet potato, turnip or parsnip, yams, potatoes, etc.
* optional 3 lbs. chicken backs, necks, feet, heads, etc.
Add water to cover by 1" - 2"
Kombu (2"x3" square)
1 garlic head cut in half (remove any bad parts)
season with more salt, cracked peppercorns or juniper berries, thyme, bay leaf
Bring to boil and simmer 2 hours
Pour through colander to remove large solids and return to pot
Bring back to boil and add:
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch dandelion greens
Simmer for 5 - 10 minutes
Strain and cool
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4 comments:
May I come for dinner?!!
Absolutely!!
Yum. This really looks more than good. Thank you for the clue to a good stock. I gathered you were a heck of a cook by the home made pizza dinner you mentioned some time back. There are some wonderful tips here. Let me know when you are doing dinner next.... *grin*
My husband is the "stock maker" in our household and he's been making chicken stock pretty regularly but mentioned that he wanted to make vegetable stock as well. So how serendipitous that I should find your post; I'll pass it along to him!
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