It amazes me that there is a market for boneless ham when there is so much good to be wrested from a ham bone. Making soup, especially bean or pea, is a traditional use for such a bone and one to which I often put it. Lately, however, I have discovered that ham stock offers more flexibility: I can use it as the base for soup or I can put it to a variety of other uses from ham gravy to risotto.
There is no magic to brewing a pot of stock. Brown the bones in oven, or not, put them in stockpot with some mirepoix, a few seasonings, and water. Simmer for a good long time—how long depends on the bones—strain, cool, defat, and freeze in suitable containers. Done!
I recently decided to try making stock in my electric pressure cooker. The results were far better than I expected. The tradeoff is speed and ease for quantity. While I can make five or six quarts at a time in my stockpot, the pressure cooker only yields about three and half. But it is done in under two hours—less if I preheat water while preparing the ingredients. Incidentally, do not take the quantities in this recipe too seriously, they are approximate.
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Ingredients |
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Ham bone |
1 |
1 |
|
Onion, diced (2 medium) |
8 ounces |
250 grams |
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Carrot, diced (1 or 2) |
4 ounces |
125 grams |
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Celery, diced (1 large stalk) |
4 ounces |
125 grams |
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Garlic, crushed |
2 cloves |
2 cloves |
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Bay leaves |
3 or 4 |
3 or 4 |
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Cloves, whole |
4 or 5 |
4 or 5 |
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Peppercorns, whole |
8 to 10 |
8 to 10 |
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Water (see method) |
about 4 quarts |
about 4 liters |
Put everything into the pressure cooker. Use just enough water to fill it to the manufacturer’s recommendation. Cook for one hour at high pressure—in my Cuisinart electric that is about 10 psi (69 kPa). Allow the cooker to cool for 10 or 15 minutes then release the pressure per the manufacturer’s instructions. Using tongs, remove the bone then strain the stock into a large bowl or pot. Refrigerate immediately. When cool, skim off the fat. You can discard the fat if you wish but I usually save it to cook with. (Ham fat is particularly good for making bubble and squeak.) Decant the stock into one quart screw top plastic freezer jars.
Rich brown stock made from roasted beef bones and caramelized vegetables is a kitchen essential. Besides brown gravy and demi-glace it is the base for many soups, notably French onion. Granted, one can buy rather good beef stock in the supermarket—salt-free versions are becoming more commonplace—but making your own is easy and the result is better than store-bought. This recipe where the stock cooks overnight in the oven even relieves of having to hover over a stock pot for hours. And because the stock steeps at just below the boiling point instead of simmering, it comes out clear and is easy to de-fat. I portion the finished product into one-quart screw-top plastic containers and freeze it for several months.
Note: have your butcher cut the beef bones into piece 5 cm (2”) to 10 cm (4”) long; shorter is better.
Yield: about four quarts
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Ingredients |
|
|
|
1.5 kilogram |
6 pounds |
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Mirepoix* |
1 kilogram |
2 pounds |
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Tomato, diced** |
225 grams |
8 ounces |
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Cold water |
6 liters |
6 quarts |
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Herb sachet |
See method |
See method |
*mirepoix consists of diced onion, carrot, and celery in 2:1:1 proportions
**in place of tomatoes you can use 2 tablespoons (30 ml) tomato paste, adding it to the cold water
Preheat oven to 400°F (205°C).
Place the bones in a single layer in a roasting pan. Spread the mirepoix and tomatoes evenly in a second roasting pan. Place both into the hot oven turning the bones and stirring the vegetables from time to time.
After an hour remove the pans from oven. Transfer the bones to a large stock pot. Pour off all but a quarter cup of fat from the roasting pan that had the bones in it and move the vegetables into it. Place over two stovetop burners on medium-high heat. Stir until the vegetables are well caramelized but not burnt. Add the vegetables to the stockpot. Deglaze the pan(s) with part of the cold water and add to the pot along with the rest of the water.
Turn the oven down to 205°F (96°C).
Prepare a sachet by tying 2 bay leaves, 2 or 3 crushed garlic cloves, 2 sprigs fresh or ½ teaspoon (3 ml) dried thyme, 6 sprigs fresh or 2 teaspoons (10 ml) dried parsley, and 8 to 10 crushed black peppercorns in a piece of cheesecloth (unless you have a giant tea ball, as I do) and add it to the stock. Bring the stock just to a boil and place the pot, uncovered, into the oven. Steep for eight to twelve hours but no more.
When the stock is done, strain it into a very large bowl. Clean out the stock pot then set bowl into your kitchen sink with the drain closed. Fill a small, deep saucepan with ice and water then place it into the stock. Run cold water into the sink to the depth of the stock in the bowl. Stir the water around to cool the stock as quickly as possible. The idea is to minimize the amount of time it spends in the danger zone between 140°F (60°C) and 40°F (5°C). Pour the cooled stock back into the stock pot and refrigerate. (Of course, in the winter you can just put the pot out into the snow!)
When well cooled, defat the stock and, if you like, strain it again, this time through cheese cloth. Dispense into suitable containers and freeze for up to several months.
Stocks are indispensable in the kitchen. They are the base for soups, risottos, sauces, and gravies. And, if you are like me and hate to waste things, they are great cleansers of the soul because many things that might otherwise be consigned to the garbage get a last chance to shine. Indeed, the best stocks are made from odds and ends along with a few panty basics. For this stock I used a salmon head, shrimp tails and shells, and stems from shiitake mushrooms. The head I bought for the purpose but the rest were trimmings that I collected in a bag in the freezer. Most cookbooks will tell you that salmon is to be avoided for fish stock because of its distinctive flavor. Personally, I do not mind that flavor and anyway salmon heads are pretty much all I can get. One should remove the gills lest they impart bitterness to the stock but I have forgotten to no ill effect. I make my stock in a pressure cooker for speed and convenience but do not let the lack of such a device dissuade you from making stock. Just double or treble the cooking time. Note that the quantities in the recipe are rather vague. There is really no magic formula; use what you have at hand. If the stock is too intense, water it down; if too weak, boil it down a bit. Even a watery stock is better than plain water.
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Ingredients |
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1½ to 2 pounds |
700 to 1000 grams |
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Shrimp, crab, or lobster shells |
½ to 1 pound |
250 to 500 grams |
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Mushroom stems |
2 ounces |
70 grams |
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Onion, coarsely chopped |
1 medium |
1 medium |
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Carrot, coarsely chopped |
2 small |
2 small |
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Celery, coarsely chopped |
1 stalk |
1 stalk |
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Bouquet garni |
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Bay leaves |
2 |
2 |
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Black peppercorns |
8 to 12 |
8 to 12 |
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Thyme |
sprig |
sprig |
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Parsley |
Sprig |
sprig |
Rinse the fish head and remove the gills (or have your fishmonger do it). Put into pressure cooker vessel. Add the crustacean shells, mushroom trimmings, and vegetables. Put the ingredients for the bouquet garni into a large tea ball or tie in a bit of cheesecloth and add to the pot. Cover with water to the limit set by the pressure cooker manufacturers—in mine that is 16 cups. Cook at high pressure (15 psi, 103 kPa) for 30 minutes. Allow the cooker to cool for about 15 minutes. Release pressure according to manufacturer’s instructions. Pour the stock through a colander into a large bowl then filter through cheesecloth or a reusable coffee filter into suitable storage containers—I use 1 quart screw top plastic freezer containers. Freeze for up to several months.
The next time you buy a duck do not be tempted to take the easy way out by roasting it in one piece because with this bird the sum of the parts is ever so much more than the whole. Here is an approach to turning a duck into a fine meal while adding some fine ingredients to the refrigerator and freezer. You can find more information including instructional videos at the Maple Leaf Farms Web site.
If you are skilled at cutting up a chicken, disassembling a duck will pose no problems. First remove the legs where the thigh attaches to the body. Leave the thigh and drumstick together. Then remove the wings. Now, with the breast up, cut along the sternum and down along the ribs to remove one breast. Repeat of the other side. Finally remove as much of the loose skin as possible from the back and set aside to render but leave the skin on the breasts and legs. Chop or cut the back into convenient size pieces for making stock.
Preheat oven to 400°F and roast the back, neck, and wings for 30 minutes turning occasionally. Add to a pressure cooker along with 1 coarsely chopped onion, a chopped carrot, a cut-up celery stalk, and the giblets. Toss in a bouquet garnis containing a bay leaf, half a dozen whole black peppercorns, and a sprig each of parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Fill the cooker with cold water according to the manufacturer’s instruction—in mine the total comes to 16 cups. Cook on high pressure for 45 minutes. When the pressure has subsided open the cooker, again according to the manufacturer’s instructions, strain and let sit until the fat rises to the top. Skim and reserve the fat.
If you do not have a pressure cooker, use a large stock pot and simmer for 3 or 4 hours. You can also skip the browning step if you prefer a white stock.
Besides being delicious, duck fat is a healthy alternative to butter. Duck fat contains 50.5% monounsaturated fats, 35.7% saturated fats, and 13.7% polyunsaturated fats compares to olive oil which is 75% monounsaturates, 13% saturates, and 12% polyunsaturates or butter with 21% monounsaturates, 51% saturates, and 3% polyunsaturates. There are two ways to render duck fat: in a fry pan and in water. The latter method, ironically, results in fat with less water and thus a longer shelf live. To render the fat simply put the duck skin and any loose fat into a heavy pot and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the water has evaporated and the fat is clear. Strain the fat into a suitable container and store in the refrigerator or freezer. Do not discard the bits of skin; make cracklings by frying them in a skillet with a bit of the duck fat.
Sprinkle the meat side of each leg with salt. Cover one leg with 3 or 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Place the other leg on top so that the pieces are meat-to-meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 or 2 days. Scrape off the salt and garlic then put the legs in a shallow baking dish. Place the dish in a 200° oven for about 3 hours or until the meat falls from the bones. Allow to rest until cool enough to handle then remove the meat from the bones in large pieces and place in a glass jar. Pour the rendered fat over the meat adding more if needed to cover by 1 inch. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Here is the generic recipe for cooking duck breasts: Preheat the oven to 400°. With a sharp knife score the breasts at an angle cutting through the skin into the fat layer but not into the meat. The cuts should be about ¼ inch apart. Repeat at right angles to the first series of cuts. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a dry, oven-proof, non-stick skillet until very hot. Place the duck breasts in the skillet skin side down. Place in the hot oven and finish to taste, about 20 minutes for medium well. Rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.
Making stock is one of the basic skills that every serious cook should master. Even if you do not want to go the trouble of making brown stock, you really should make your own chicken stock. Not only is it superior in flavor to store-bought but it is nearly free. Instead of discarding the backs, wing tips, and other bones that you have left over from making other chicken dishes collect them in a large freezer bag until you have enough for a large pot of stock—about 4 pounds. The one problem with making stock is that if you have a gas cooktop, as I do, you are stuck in the house for the five or six hours it takes to simmer. Today it occurred to me to try making it in a slow oven instead. Since my oven is electric I can safely leave it to run errands. Bring the pot to a boil on the stovetop and skim off the foam that forms then put it into the oven at between 225°F and 250°F which will keep it a gentle simmer. My oven has a slow cook feature that, on low, maintains the temperature in that range or you can simply set your oven on bake at an appropriate temperature.
Rice was introduced to the Mediterranean by Arabic traders who brought it from India to Sicily and Spain. From there, mostly likely Spain, the grain found its way to the Po River valley in northern Italy where the best risotto rice is still produced. The basic technique for cooking the starchy Italian rice into something akin to a porridge has been documented in Venice as early as the 14th century but legend has the classic Risotto alla Milanese having been invented in 1574. In the regions of Piemonte, Lombardy, and Veneto risotto is often eaten as a primo piatto, or first course, while in the US it is usually served as a side dish or a main course. This recipe is definitely the last and makes a filling one dish meal.
A note on the stock: risotto is never made with water but always with stock or broth appropriate to the finished dish. This recipe starts with a simple homemade stock using shrimp shells and scallop tendons that I collect in a small bag in the freezer. If you do not have those ingredient you could use store-bought fish stock or even chicken broth but be careful when adding salt toward the end because those tend to be salty.
Put the shellfish bits—no need to thaw them first—into a saucepan along with the onion, carrot, celery, herbs, and water. Season with a good grind of pepper, bring to a boil then reduce heat to low and simmer, partially covered for at least 30 minutes. Strain into a bowl and keep hot. You should have about 4 cups of stock.
Into a heavy-bottomed 3-quart pot, such as a small Dutch oven, over medium heat pour enough olive oil to just cover the bottom. Add the pancetta and cook, stirring often, until the fat is rendered out and the cubes are brown and crispy about 4 minutes. Remove the pancetta to a small bowl using a slotted spoon to leave behind as much of the fat as possible. Set aside.
Pat the scallops dry with a kitchen towel and add them to the hot fat. Sauté for about 2 minutes or until done. Again using a slotted spoon remove to a bowl and set aside.
Adjust the amount of fat in the pan by adding a bit of olive oil if needed. Reduce the heat to medium-low and sauté the shallot for 2 minutes until softened but not browned. Add the garlic and cook until fragrant about another minute. Add the rice to the pot, raise the heat to medium, and fry, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, until is becomes chalky, 2 or 3 minutes. 
Stir in the vermouth and allow to boil for 30 seconds then add two 2-ounce ladles of the stock. Stir constantly as the rice absorbs the liquid. When the stock is nearly completely absorbed but the rice has not dried out add more stock, a 2-ounce ladleful at a time, again stirring continuously. Repeat until the rice is just done. It should be creamy but have just a slight “bite” to it. The rice should have absorbed most of the four cups of stock. Stir in the reserved pancetta and scallops. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.
Do not be tempted to add cheese! Although meat and vegetable risotti often contain cheese, those made with fish or seafood NEVER do.
Well, ok, technically the duck had already been dispatched before it left Maple Leaf Farms in northern Indiana. And, after thawing it, I could have simply popped it into the oven and roasted it whole. But disassembling the bird lets me get the best out of its component parts. The boneless breasts, maigret de canard in French, cook up like small, tender steaks; the legs get salt-cured and preserved in duck fat as confit de canard, perfect for making cassoulet; the back, wings, and giblets make a wonderful stock and soup base; and, the extra skin renders out delicious, golden duck fat. Not bad for a few minutes of work.
If you are skilled at cutting up a chicken, disassembling a duck will pose no problems. Their anatomy is similar but the classic method is a bit different: wth a chicken one removes the legs and separates the thigh and drumstick while with a duck the legs are left whole; and with a chicken after removing the wings one cuts out the back while with a duck the back is left whole and the breasts are cut from the ribs. Maple Leaf Farms has an instructional video. Cut as much of the loose skin as possible from the back and set aside to render but leave the skin on the breasts and legs.
Put the back, wings, and giblets into a stock pot along with 1 coarsely chopped onion, a chopped carrot, and a cut-up celery stock. Cover by a couple of inches with cold water, add a teaspoon of black pepper corns and a couple bay leaves, and bring to a boil. Skim the stock as it nears boiling. When it is boiling, turn the heat down and simmer gently for 3 or 4 hours. Strain and let sit until the fat rises to the top. Skim and reserve the fat.
Duck also makes a very good brown stock. To make that just roast the duck, but not the giblets, in a 400° oven for 30 minutes and proceed as for white stock.
Besides being delicious, duck fat is a healthy alternative to butter. Duck fat contains 50.5% monounsaturated fats, 35.7% saturated fats, and 13.7% polyunsaturated fats compares to olive oil which is 75% monounsaturates, 13% saturates, and 12% polyunsaturates or butter with 21% monounsaturates, 51% saturates, and 3% polyunsaturates. There are two ways to render duck fat: in a fry pan and in water. The latter method, ironically, results in fat with less water and thus a longer shelf live. To render the fat simply put the duck skin and any loose fat into a Dutch oven and cover with an inch of water. Bring to a boil and simmer until the water has evaporated. Strain off the fat and store in the refrigerator. Do not discard the bits of skin, however. Make cracklings by frying them in a skillet with a bit of the duck fat.
Preheat the oven to 400°. With a sharp knife score the breasts at an angle cutting through the skin into the fat layer but not into the meat. The cuts should be about ¼ inch apart. Repeat at right angles to the first series of cuts. Season with salt and pepper. Heat a dry, oven-proof, non-stick skillet on medium-low heat. Place the duck breasts in the skillet skin side down. Cook for 10 minutes or until the skin is well crisped. Turn and cook for another 2 minutes then pour off the fat and finish in the oven for about 6 minutes. Allow to rest for 4 or 5 minutes before serving. Or just watch the video from Maple Leaf Farms.
Sprinkle the meat side of each leg with salt. Cover one leg with 3 or 4 cloves of crushed garlic. Place the other leg on top so that the pieces are meat-to-meat. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 or 2 days. Scrape off the salt and garlic then put the legs in a shallow baking dish. Place the dish in a 200° oven for about 3 hours or until the meat falls from the bones. Allow to rest until cool enough to handle then remove the meat from the bones in large pieces and place in a glass jar. Pour the rendered fat over the meat adding more if needed to cover by 1 inch. Store in the refrigerator for up to a month.
Today I was lucky enough to find fresh leeks at the Binghamton farmers’ market. Thin, mild-mannered, and elegant, leeks are the princesses of the onion family. They are usually sold with a bit of root and some dark green leaves at either end of the edible part. Although the darker green leaves have little flavor and can be quite bitter, the light green leaves just below where the upper leaves flare and the outer layer that you might be tempted to discard can be turned into a lovely vegetable stock. Tear the leaves open to wash out the inevitable sand.
Dump everything into a stock pot, bring to a boil, and simmer gently for 45 minutes to an hour. Add salt to taste (I usually do not salt stock). Strain into a large bowl. Allow to sit undisturbed for about 30 minutes to cool and to allow any residual sand to settle out. Ladle into 1 quart plastic freezer containers.
With the possible exception of water, no liquid is more useful in the kitchen than chicken stock. Besides being the starting point for chicken soup, it makes a delicious cooking liquid for rice and a versatile base for sauces. Of course you can buy reasonably good chicken stock ready-made but making your own is easy and, since it uses scraps from other meals, nearly free. I keep a bag of chicken backs, wing tips, and other bones in the freezer; when I have accumulated a couple pounds, I make stock.
Note that I do not salt my stock and make it a bit less concentrated that some recipes call for. I find that this makes it more versatile since you can always boil it to concentrate and salt as needed.
2 pounds assorted chicken bones
1 large onion, coarsely chopped (if you have leek trimmings use them along with or instead of the onion)
1 carrot, scrapped or peeled and coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
4 quarts cold water
Sachet containing 1 glove crushed garlic, 6 black peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 5 or 6 parsley sprigs or 2 tsp. dried parsley, 1 tsp. dried thyme, and ½ tsp. each dried sage and dried rosemary
Put everything in a large stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat. When it begins to boil turn the heat down to maintain a low simmer with pot partially covered for 4 or 5 hours. Make sure to keep it at a gentle simmer not a boil or the stock will be cloudy. Skim as needed. Uncover and continue to simmer for another hour to concentrate the flavors. You will probably need to raise the heat a bit to maintain the simmer. Strain into a large bowl or another stock pot and refrigerate overnight.
Remove the fat from the top of the stock. Strain through cheesecloth into 1 quart freezer containers. Freeze for up to 3 months if it lasts that long.
This classic beef stock is essential to making brown gravies and demi-glace. While you can buy rather good beef stock in the supermarket, the ones made by Kitchen Basics are especially good and available in salt-free versions, there is a special pleasure that comes from transforming a pile of bones and vegetables into stock. And the result is worth the effort. Not that making stock is either difficult or particularly time-consuming. True, it does take all day to simmer, but it does not require much attention while it does so stock making is a fine background activity for a day of puttering around the house.
4 pounds beef shank bones cut into 3- to 4-inch lengths
1 pound mirepoix (½pound diced onion, ¼ pound each diced carrot and celery)
1 gallon cold water
Sachet containing 1 bay leaf, 1 large crushed clove garlic, ¼ tsp. dried thyme, 6 fresh parsley stems or 1 tsp. dried parsley leaves, 8 crushed black peppercorns
2 small tomatoes, diced
Place the bones in a roasting pan and brown in a 375° oven for about 1 hour, turning once in a while to make sure they are evenly done. When ready put the bones in a large stock pot and pour off the fat, saving it for other uses. Deglaze the pan by putting over heat, adding ½ inch of water, and scrapping up the meaty bit stuck to the pan as the water heats. Pour the deglazing liquor, as it is called, into the stock pot. Add the rest of the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to bring to a gentle simmer.
In the same roasting pan used for the bones, add ¼ cup of the reserved fat and the mirepoix. Roast in a 350° oven, stirring every 5 minutes to prevent burning, until nicely caramelized but not burned, about 20 minutes. Add to the simmering stock along with the sachet and the tomato.
Simmer, skimming as needed, for 6 to 8 hours, replenishing the water as needed to maintain the volume. At the end of cooking, strain the stock into a suitable container and cool overnight in the refrigerator. (Some authors recommend cooling in an ice water bath first, but I am not sure that is really necessary. In the winter, of course, you can just put the pot out in the snow to cool!)
When well cooled, defat the stock and strain again, this time through cheese cloth. I dispense the stock into 1-quart plastic screw top containers and freeze it for up to several months. To use I put a container in the microwave for 3 or 4 minutes, pour off what I need, and put the rest back into the freezer.
