Stock it

“From time immemorial, soups and broths have been the worldwide medium for utilizing what we call the kitchen byproducts or as the French call them, the 'dessertes de la table' (leftovers), or 'les parties interieures de la bete'”
- Louis DeGouy, The Soup book

They say Stock to a cook is like voice to a singer. Stock, vegetable or otherwise forms a base of almost all the soups and for cooking many dishes for them to absorb the flavor. Stock is supposed to be a fundamental ingredient of French cooking.

Stock also known as broth or bouillon, has an history span of almost three and a half centuries. And even before that the nomadic way of life was to carrying portable soups with them, a necessity. The stocks or broths were carried at the sea to serve the sea-sick sailors. In England, stock was supposed to be found only in the houses of frugal housewives.

The French old school, give a frugal nature to the stock by adding every potato and carrot peel. Now a days the attitude towards the stock cooking has been through a massive evolution. Extraction of the flavors from the vegetables and the meat or fish is the key in a full bodied, flavorful stock. The basic reason why stock pots are tall, cylindrical and less wide.

Stocking the vegetables, meat or fish can never be done through a specific recipe. The soup or the dish for which the stock is required, and the season in which the stock in being prepared are the points which come into consideration while stocking. Of course the bone remains in case of chicken stock and the vegetables of the season in general and the one lying in your refrigerator should decide the course of the stock.

Just like clear soups require a skimmed and highly flavorful stock, in the same way stews are made from sauce like broth. In case of meat, poultry and seafood, the bony and less tender parts such as the marrowbones, shins, shoulders and necks make the richest of soups. Storing these parts in the freezer till the time it is to stock them, is also recommended.

Onions, garlics, shallots, celery and carrots, the indispensable for a vegetable stock. All the other vegetables which are there in the seasons, such as asparagus, artichokes for the spring soups and tomatoes in the summer for the gazpacho. Herbs and spices give that flavorful touch to the stocks. Fresh herbs or the dried spices all go into that simmering pot depending on the intensity of flavor desired.

The market canned stocks or broth also can be used but they nullify the age old purpose of frugality which is associated with the very existence of the stock. While it does come from the chefs themselves that a homemade stock is the best for the flavor and body it gives to the soup.



The process of stocking for me also synchronizes with clearing of my refrigerator with tiny bits and remaining half cut pieces of the vegetables. Meat or seafood is a rarity in my refrigerator and even when they are cooked, I take care that no remains are left. Hence for me the appropriate and the most used stock in my kitchen is the vegetable stock. And this is how I made it.

Ingredients:
2 medium sized yellow onions
4-5 carrots
4-5 fresh white mushrooms
1 big red bell pepper
3 stalks of celery
4-5 cloves of garlic
1 cup broccoli florets
a bunch of coriander
1 tbs white peppercorn
2-3 bay leaves
1/2 tbs cloves
2-3 tbs olive oil


Procedure:

I prefer making a dark rich vegetable stock from roasted vegetables. Well the kind of stock depends upon what one intends to put it at use.

Clean all the vegetables thoroughly. Peel and cut the vegetables in approximate size of 1/2 to 1 inch pieces.

Heat olive oil in a deep,thick pot(stock pot), stir in the vegetables until they are brown (15-20 min). Browning the vegetables imparts a sweet flavor the vegetables. One can roast the vegetables and then use them in the stock, as well.

Pour in the water to just cover the vegetables. Mix the herbs and spices. Simmer the pot over medium to low heat, for about 3-4 hours. The flavor can be obtained even after 1 hour of heating. But an intense full-bodied stock is obtained with slow and longer heating of the vegetables. It is more important to extract the flavors from the ingredients.

Filter the stock through the fine sieve to collect the liquid. I even squeeze out the liquid from the vegetables. I believe this increases the flavor concentration. Use this stock immediately for cooking. In case it needs to be stored, cool it and store it in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 3-4 months.

For using the frozen stock, thaw it in the refrigerator or directly heat it in a pan.

All kind of roots and leafy vegetables can be added. Potatoes, tomatoes, turnips, leeks, parsnips all make a healthy broth. Well, for me it depends what is lying there in my refrigerator at that given time. This is the third time I have made a vegetable stock, and never have I ever used a leafy vegetable in it. I think it would give the stock a dark colour and an undesirable flavour to my risotto.
A day of stocking will pay high returns when it will really matter. In cold winters and rainy days, the stock will be an handy ingredient to soothe the soul and the stomach. The aroma it fills the home with is an additional perk. They do not say it for nothing, 'Stock it for a cold day'.


Well into the third day of Recipe marathon,

DK completes it with a Spicy-Roti , Lakshmi with Onion kulchas. Siri has done it again with Fatayer Bisabanikh Spinach Pastry and Srivalli with her spicy Dahi Mirchi or Mor Malaghai. Ranji comes in with a delectable Blueberry Muffin. Raaga with Jackfruit Curry and Divya comes with my favourite Cranberry Muffins. The chatkhor Swati has done it all with Shimla mirch paneer bhurji. Arundathi enters with her Grape Jam,

Update: The 'This book makes me cook' event has been extended till 25th May.