STOCK!

The very essence of stock is intoxicating. Aromas and pungent odors of beef bones waft through the house and deepen the longer you cook them. I never cook a stock for anything less than 4 hours. 5 or 6 hours are actually about the most you can go before you've sucked every shred of flavor you can get from a bone or a cut of meat, be it beef, veal, pork or chicken (or all four). 

CLEAR CONSOMMÉ

Stocks take many varied forms: dark, white, fish, beef, chicken, veal, pork. Give me a bone and I'll roast it and boil it and simmer it and cajole as much flavor from it as I can. Add some cut vegetables fresh herbs and such and you will produce something magical like the alchemist turning water into a gastronomic elixir which can be used for countless recipes, soups, sauces, and entire meals as well.

This recipe is for a brown stock and I'll be using a combination of poultry, beef, veal and pork. Subtlety lies in masking the flavors of one only to bring out the flavors of another.

To begin:

1 entire bone from a shoulder of pork (previously roasted; yes, I save bones in my freezer and you should, too!)

1 veal breast (best for a gelatinous stock)

12 chicken wings

2 lbs. beef bones or a beef shank

4 chicken thighs

Roast these ingredients with a chopped carrot and an onion cut in two at 450º for about an hour. Turn the breast, and the shank (if using) over once, as well as the wings to extract as much flavor from the bones as possible and render the fat. 

Put all the meats as well as all the juices and fat from the pan  into a large enough pot to hold all the contents and cover by 2-3 inches with cold water. Bring the contents to the simmer (do not boil!) and immediately turn the heat down and start skimming any scum which rises to the top. 

Add:

2 peeled and chopped carrots

1 chopped whole onion

2 chopped stalks of celery 

1 chopped leek (some of the green leaves is okay)

1 herb bouquet wrapped and tied in double strength cheesecloth made from:

1 bunch parsley

4-5 sprigs fresh thyme

4-5 sprigs fresh rosemary

4-5 sprigs fresh sage

4 cloves

4 cloves unpeeled garlic

6 black peppercorns

3 bay leaves

Simmer for 4-6 hours. You don't want more than the merest bubble here and there at the top of the pot. The less you stir and the less boiling the clearer the broth will remain. You do not want a cloudy broth.

When you think it's time to stop cooking, turn off the heat and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour. You should have about 1-1/2 -2 gallons of stock. 

Strain the stock through a colander lined with a wet tea towel or triple strength cheesecloth which can fit nicely over another stock pot. Push solids to extract as much liquid as possible and let sit for about 30 minutes. Discard solids.

I like to refrigerate my stock overnight and degrease the stock when the fat has risen to and solidifed at the surface. You may or may not have a vast amount of fat and you can definitely use these "drippings" for cooking other things but whether or not you save such is totally up to you. (I do!)

CLARIFIED STOCK

If you want a completely fat free and totally clear and flavorful  consommé, this is what you need to do:

Mix together:

1 lb. ground beef
1 stalk chopped celery
1 chopped carrot 
1 bunch parsley
2 tsp. tarragon
3 egg whites
1 washed and chopped leek (green parts as well)

When you have a nice mass of meat and egg white, place contents into the stock pot, turn on the heat and bring to the boil. You should stir very often to ensure that the egg whites or any other solids don't stick to the bottom of the pot. As soon as the liquid starts to boil, STOP stirring. Turn the heat down to the lowest setting possible and simmer for about an hour. There will be little geysers on the surface of the crust that forms at the top of the stock. The albumen from the beef and the egg whites are collecting all the impurities in the stock and you will immediately see that there is a very clear liquid under the crust. 

CRUSTY EGG WHITES CLARIFYING STOCK

When the stock is completely clarified, you will need another tea towel and pot to very carefully pour the liquid through to the other pot. Do not in any way upset the crust. When the contents are drained, you can then gently lift the crust and place it in the colander. Let it drain for about an hour and discard. 

You should have a great deal of stock - roughly 2 gallons. Pour 1 cup of Madeira into the stock, stir and let cool. At this point, you can refrigerate the clarified stock or store in separate containers and freeze for future use. When refrigerated overnight, you will see exactly what I meant about gelatinous possibilities; the consommé should jiggle in its container.

This consommé is now ready to be consumed with julienned vegetables or can be used as the basis for a great many other soups and/or sauces and, if you have the patience and the time, it can be transformed into demi-glace, a 3-quart reduction process which will result in about 1/2 cup of deep brown, marvelously thick and velvety sauce.

I made a beet consommé last night - delicious! - in preparation for beet soup. Recipe to follow soon.