Basic Stock

Recipe by: Lidia Bastianich, Jay Jacobs | from La Cucina Di Lidia: Recipes and Memories from Italy's Adriatic Coast

Cookstr

Total Time: Half Day

Skill Level: Easy

Cost: Inexpensive

Photo by: Joey De Leo

Yield: 8–10 Cups

INGREDIENTS

1 pound chicken backs and wings
1 pound veal shin bones
1 pound short ribs of beef
Salt to taste
2 ribs celery
1 small bunch Italian parsley
¼ celery root (celeriac), peeled (optional)
2 large carrots, halved
4 whole clovets, garlic
1 medium-large onion (See Note)
4 whole peppercorns

Directions

Trim the meats of excess fat, rinse, and place in a stockpot. Cover generously with cold water, salt very lightly, and slowly bring to a boil. Add all the other ingredients, lower the heat, and simmer 3–4 hours, depending on the desired concentration of flavor. (I’d suggest more rather than less; for a lighter soup, a concentrated stock always can be quickly diluted with water.) Skim the surface of froth and fat as they accumulate.

Remove from the stove, strain through a very fine sieve, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off the solid surface fat. The stock then can be kept under refrigeration up to 3 days or frozen for several months.

Variations: With the same quantities of vegetables and seasoning, beef, veal, or chicken stock can be prepared using the following amounts of meat and bones.

Beef Stock

1 pound each beef bones (preferably marrow bones), beef shin, and short ribs or oxtails

Veal Stock

1½ pounds each veal shin bones and muscles or neck and breast of veal, bone in and fat removed

Chicken Stock

3 pounds chicken backs and wings

Notes

Peel and cut the onion in half and brown it over an open flame or under the broiler. For a more deeply colored stock, the meats and vegetables can be browned in a roasting pan with a little olive oil.

NUTRITIONAL INFORMATION

Nutrients per serving (% daily value)

Nutritional information is based on 16 servings and includes 1 teaspoon of added salt.

Calories 14kcal (1%)

Calcium 2mg (0%)

Vitamin C 0mg (0%)

Vitamin A 33mcg RAE (1%)

Potassium 19mg

Magnesium 1mg

Protein 1g

Sugar 0g

Fiber 0g