Posted by: Rachael DeYoung in Recipes on Mar 4, 2010
Stock is nutritious and easy to make. Using stock as a base for meat, vegetables, and soups makes the foods easier to digest, and improves protein efficiency and nutrient absorption. Unfortunately, store-bought stocks and bouillon cubes have none of these great benefits, just added preservatives and chemicals such as MSG. I freeze ice cube trays of stock to use a couple at a time for a hot mug of broth, as a meat marinade, or to add to cooking oil or water when making stir-fry. Make a big batch of soup or stew to grab for lunch or dinner for the week.
CHICKEN STOCK
Ingredients:
Chicken bones
2 carrots, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 onions, halved
1 bunch parsley, tied together
Directions:
Buy a whole chicken and roast it.
Place the carcass in a big pot or crockpot with 1/2 cup vinegar and enough cold water to just cover the bones. Let sit for 30 min - 1 hour.
Bring water to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Some foam will have risen to the top, be sure to skim it off.
Add the vegetables. These could be the same roast vegetables, or new ones. Let simmer for at least 3 hours, or ideally overnight.
10 minutes before finished, add parsley.
Remove from heat and let cool slightly.
Pick out the bones, set aside. You can pick any excess meat off for use in soups. Strain the stock through a large, then fine-mesh colander. The vegetables can be used in soup, or discarded if too mushy. Let the strained stock cool in the fridge or garage for a few hours.
The fat will rise to the top and you can easily remove it. Store stock in the freezer in 2 cup increments in jars or ziploc freezer bags.
Save some in ice cube trays for easy small servings.
BEEF/LAMB STOCK
Follow the same directions as chicken stock. I used a collection of assorted lamb bones to make soup and stock that is easily interchangeable with beef stock. Lamb are typically more nutritious than beef because they are usually grass-fed, especially New Zealand Spring Lamb. By picking up random cuts when they went on sale (either fresh at the end of its shelf life, lamb bones from Starsky or a butcher) and freezing them, I accumulated enough to make a big pot's worth. Lamb shoulder chops and riblets have a high bone - to - meat ratio, great for stock. You can throw in big beef marrow bones (Real Canadian Superstore often has these), oxtails, really any bones you can find are good.