I use homemade stock in many of my recipes. I use it to make brown rice on a regular basis and in couscous as well as many bean dishes. I love stock. It makes everything taste like it’s been simmering all day. People think stock is hard and time consuming. They buy canned broth instead which often has added sodium or preservatives and really doesn’t pack the flavor punch to make it worth wile. I make a big batch of stock weekly and use it throughout the week to add flavor to dishes without added calories, fat, or sodium.
My stock method is super cheap. A few years ago I had a wonderful roommate who shared my love of cooking and taught me a really neat trick for making homemade stock. He kept medium sized Tupperware container in the fridge for veggie bits and pieces all week long. As we chopped the tops off onions and zucchinis and peeled carrots and potatoes we added all these ‘garbage’ pieces to the Tupperware container. We added the bulbous ends of celery and the stems of herbs. At the end of the week, we dumped the bits and pieces into a big pot and added water until the bits and pieces were just covered. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer. When the water had reduced by about a third, we strained out the veggie bits and pieces and had a gorgeous veggie stock to use all week long.
My roommate was a vegetarian, and while I appreciate that lifestyle, I will forever be a meat eater. During the week I save any and all bones that come from my meat, even if they have been cooked. I just throw it in the freezer and dump whatever bones I’ve saved into the pot, still frozen, with the veggie bits and pieces. Then I make the meat stock using the same techniques as the veggie stock. I cover the bones and veggies with water bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the water is reduced by about half.
I’ve been experimenting with stock for the past few years and have made it a regular chore in my kitchen. On Monday mornings, I make a big batch of stock while I’m catching up on e-mail and doing the weekly shopping lists. I’d urge you to find an hour in your life when you’re in the house but otherwise occupied to create a yummy stock. There is no prep, no cutting or chopping, and you dirty only one pot and one strainer.
Things I use stock for:
1. To sauté veggies to create a delicious side dish without oil or fat.
2. To add flavor to brown rice or beans, use in place of water.
3. As a base for a quick weekday soup.
4. As a braising liquid for a low fat chicken or beef dish
5. To deglaze a pan to create a delicious gravy.
As you can see, I have an opportunity to use stock for almost any meal. The flavor can really elevate a meal and now stock is staple in my fridge. If I have left over stock at the end of the week I pour it into ice trays and freeze it to use in the future. I can pop out as many as I need to add to a recipe.
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