Winter Stocks

• 2 kilograms Stemmler’s Beef or Veal Bones (chicken or turkey bones may be used) 
• 1 ½ cups onion, chopped 
• 1 cup celery, chopped 
• ¾ cup carrots, peeled and chopped 
• 5 garlic cloves, whole 
• 5 sprigs fresh thyme  
• 5 sprigs fresh parsley  
• 2 bay leaves 
• 10 whole peppercorns  
• 6 litres cold water 

There are many ways to make stocks - with meat, strictly vegetarian, light, dark - it will depend on the application you are using it for. If you need stock to make a light or white sauce (velouté) or soup, use a light stock. If you intend to make a darker sauce, jus or soup, then make a dark stock. The difference of these is very simple; for the darker stock, roast the bones and the vegetables (called mirepoix) to caramelize everything before adding it all to the pot. For the lighter stock, do not roast. 

When starting the light stock, gather all the ingredients together in a large pot. Add the cold water. You may need to top it up a bit more to make sure the items are completely covered. Place the pot on a burner and set at high temp. Keep watch that it does not boil. As soon as it gets to a very low simmer, turn it down. As the stock starts to cook, you will see a scum start to form on top of the water. Those are the impurities in the bones and vegetables rising to the top. Simply take a ladle and slowly skim the top, removing the scum but not the liquid. Place into bowl to discard later. 

Every 20-30 minutes check the liquid to make sure that it's still at a very low simmer (small bubbles around the outside of the pot only). This allows you to keep removing the impurities as they collect on the surface. As you keep doing this, you will be able to skim the grease that will start to form on the surface as well. Keep skimming through the whole cooking process. You may need to add more water from time to time to keep everything completely submerged. 

NOTE: never boil or stir your stock. Because the impurities rise to the top, it will ultimately clarify the stock and bring it to a nice clear liquid. Any agitation will make the final result very cloudy or murky looking. 

Preheat oven to 400F. 

For the dark stock, as mentioned, lay the bones and the vegetables on a baking sheet and place in a 400F oven for 20-30 minutes. You can then follow Step 2 and 3 again. For a vegetable stock, you can just omit the bones and follow the same steps. Once the stocks are done (beef 6-8 hours, chicken/turkey 3-4 hours, vegetable 90 minutes), pour the liquid through a fine mesh strainer and then into another pot to cool down in a fridge or cold place. Once it’s cooled, a small amount of grease may still rise to the top and harden. Simply remove that with a spoon and discard. The stock can then be poured into containers and stored. Stocks can be refrigerated fresh for four days and frozen for three months. 

Note that no salt has been added, so you will need to season it accordingly. Enjoy whatever you decide to create with these lovely stocks.