At least there are some stocks that can be counted on to perform well, even when Wall Street is wobbling. That is, if you invest in a conservative recipe for classic beef stock that will support a beef barley soup, or trust the future dividends of a chicken noodle soup to your golden poultry broth.
The basis of so many great meals, good stocks make a lot more than soup.
“A good, rich stock can impart twice as much flavor to a dish,” says Shelley Young, owner of The Chopping Block cooking school in Lincoln Park. “It’s the basis of any good sauce or soup; just adding water makes things too bland.”
Stews, braises, vegetables, casseroles, pasta or rice dishes all benefit from a base of well-made, homemade stock.
But although Young says The Chopping Block’s stock course is “one of the easiest classes we teach,” just try to remember the last time you or anyone you know made their own stock.
Many cooks, even those who spend hours crafting bread or running homemade pasta through a noodle machine, draw the line at simmering some easy ingredients on the stove top. The availability of canned broths and the wide variety of all kinds of prepared sauces have let a lot of people excuse themselves from stockmaking.
What many cooks don’t realize is the process is simply a matter of putting a few basics in a pot, covering them all with water and letting them cook while you get on with other things.
Once the stock is prepared, you can go in one of two ways with it, according to Susan Westmoreland, food director of the Good Housekeeping test kitchens.
“Broth-based soups can be light and clear, and utterly comforting,” she says. “Or they can be hearty main dishes,” such as the chunky Latin chicken soup she makes by adding potatoes, chicken pieces and cilantro to a basic chicken broth.
You want cheap? Most stock is made from some inexpensive root vegetables, a few herbs and bones your butcher will sell you at a bargain.
In return for your outlay, you get to make a broth that’s flavored with as much onion, celery or bay leaf as desired, the chance to skim the fat yourself from the finished product, and a controlled amount of sodium.
That’s the beef many food professionals have with commercial brands of stock: If the stuff isn’t artificial tasting, it’s too salty-and vice-versa.
“There are always shortcuts that you can take, but to learn the basics is vital,” Young says. “Until you understand the principles of stocks you will never understand the difference between fresh and canned.”
It’s not that there aren’t plenty of commercial options. (See the list below.) But the stock you make almost always is going to have superior flavor, lightness and clarity.
But when canned is the easiest way to go, cooking teacher Madeleine Kamman, author of “The New Making of a Cook” (Morrow, $40), suggests diluting canned stock with tap water, “But when a subtle sauce is involved, canned stock still gives results that are short of perfection.”
“Try (homemade stock) once and you’ll be sold on the merits of planning ahead to always have some on hand,” says chef Alfred Portale of New York’s Gotham Bar and Grill. In his new book, “The Gotham Bar and Grill Cookbook” (Doubleday, $45), he observes that special dishes need the richness of broth surrendered from meat bones; some commercial products may use artificial flavorings rather than fresh ingredients.
Homemade stock isn’t as essential if you are using the liquid for something already highly seasoned, such as curries, hot Asian dishes or Texas chilies. But it does make the best soup, especially as a simple cup of clear broth for a cold day.
Stock can replace water when boiling pasta or rice, to add extra flavor. Some nutritionists suggest lightening mashed potatoes with broth instead of butter and cream, or “stir-frying” meat and vegetables in stock without having to use oil.
What many people don’t like is the idea of having another pot to clean, or wrestling with a big batch of hot liquid. But the process itself is fairly hassle-free and can be done in such quantities that it’s possible to freeze many meals’ worth of stock for the future. That’s something you can bank on.
HOW COMMERCIAL STOCKS RATE
Because we understand that convenience is sometimes a priority, the Good Eating staff sampled 14 varieties of store-bought canned and packaged chicken broth. Although most of them, sipped plain, were wretched, a few came out on top:
1. Campbell’s Healthy Request Chicken Broth. 16-ounce can, 93 cents.
Ingredients: Chicken stock, salt, chicken flavor, sugar, flavoring, disodium inosinate, disodium guanylate, potassium chloride and ascorbic acid. Comments: “Rich gold color”; “cloudy.”
2. Campbell’s Chicken Broth. 10 1/2-ounce can, 89 cents.
Ingredients: Chicken stock, chicken fat, salt, autolyzed yeast, MSG, dextrose, hydrolyzed wheat gluten, corn oil, flavoring and hydrolyzed soy and corn protein. Comments: “Most natural-tasting”; “Salty childhood memories.”
3. Swanson Chicken Broth. 14 1/2-ounce can, 95 cents.
Ingredients: Chicken broth, salt, chicken fat, dextrose, yeast extract, MSG, chicken flavor. Comments: “More golden than the rest”; “Moderately salty.”
STOCK PRINCIPLES
– Before you can make stock, you need a pot to cook it in. If you’re just preparing a small amount, such as 2 quarts, a large, heavy-bottomed Dutch oven may be adequate to hold all the ingredients and liquid. Otherwise, consider investing in a real stockpot, made of fairly lightweight metal in the diameter of a regular pot but with high sides, that holds 10 to 40 quarts.
– Onions, carrots and celery are standard vegetables for stockmaking; mushroom stems and potato peelings are fine too. Avoid strong-tasting vegetable such as broccoli, Brussels sprouts, turnips and rutabagas as they add too much of their own flavor. Older vegetables are fine to use, but don’t treat the stockpot as a compost heap. You want to get flavor from your ingredients, not just boil some tired leftovers.
– Beef and chicken stocks take the longest time to prepare because the flavor must be slowly drawn from the meat bones. Fish bones and vegetables give up their flavor easily, and stocks made from these can usually be prepared in less than an hour.
– Ingredients for quick-cooking fish or vegetable stocks should be chopped or broken into small pieces. Long-cooking beef and chicken stocks have enough time to extract flavor from ingredients left in big chunks.
– Extra color can be given to a stock by browning meat bones in the oven in a dry pan; by browning onion halves in a dry pan before adding to the stock; by cooking vegetables in a little oil before adding to stock; or by including a tomato along with the other vegetables.
– Use whole chickens if you want to save the cooked meat for soup, a casserole or some other dish. Let the chicken cook thoroughly until the meat is falling off the bone, an hour to an hour and a half; carefully remove chicken, pull the meat from the body, and return the carcass to the pot for further cooking.
– Fish stock should be made from the bones of white fish; try tilapia, sea bass or red snapper. Do not use oily, darker-fleshed fish such as mackerel, salmon or bluefish; their flavor is too strong.
– It’s not necessary to peel vegetables before adding to the water because they will be strained out later, but be sure to rinse or scrub the vegetables thoroughly to remove dirt and grit.
– Start the stock with cold water and heat to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer for the remaining cooking time; ingredients should not cook too quickly. In the case of meat and fish stocks, especially, this allows sediment and protein to gather at the top of the liquid and be removed.
– That grayish foam is the result of animal fats and tissue breaking down and separating from the liquid. Vegetable stocks will not need to be skimmed unless they give off a lot of dirt. The foam should be allowed to mass and then be carefully removed with a large, shallow spoon or flat, fine mesh spoon.
– Stock should be simmered uncovered, or partly covered if cooking for up to six hours.
– When the stock has finished cooking, remove large ingredients with a slotted spoon or tongs. Pour the remaining stock through a colander lined with cheesecloth; a fine mesh strainer; or a cone-shaped chinoise, into a smaller pan or bowl. Be careful of the steam as you pour.
– Let the stock cool to just above room temperature, then cover and refrigerate. The stock will taste better the second day, and allowing it to thoroughly chill causes much of the fat (in a meat stock) to separate and congeal at the top. The next day, gently break up the layer of fat and discard.
– Stock can be thoroughly heated and used immediately or simmered about 2 more hours to reduce and concentrate the flavor. Store unused stock in airtight containers in the refrigerator for several days or freeze for several months. Concentrated stock can be frozen in ice cube trays for times when a small amount is called for. (Once frozen, transfer the stock cubes to a freezer bag.) Defrost stock in the refrigerator and then make sure the liquid comes to a boil or is well-cooked in a recipe before consuming.
Sources: `Splendid Soups” by James Peterson; `Vegetarian Cooking For Everyone” by Deborah Madison; `The New Making of a Cook” by Madeleine Kamman.
STOCK ANSWERS
The terms `stock” and `broth” are used interchangeably, but they aren’t always the same thing. A broth can be made by simply boiling meat or vegetables in water, resulting in a very light-tasting liquid. Stocks are simmered with more complex combinations of vegetables, meat or fish bones and seasonings, cooked in water long enough to extract more flavor.
Here are some other stock-related terms.
Soup base: Commercially produced, concentrated stocks used in restaurants and commercial food preparation; some are available to home cooks.
Bouillon: Broth that has been strained and degreased. Consumers are likely to find it sold in dried cube or granular form to be reconstituted with water.
Court bouillon: A light, herb- and wine-seasoned poaching liquid for quick-cooking fish. (The French word court means short.)
Consomme: Broth that has been clarified, typically with egg whites and egg shells or ground meat; cooking the stock with these proteins helps trap impurities.
Reduction: Cooking a meat or fish stock down to a glazelike consistency. The evaporation of much of the water results in an intensely flavored product that, added in small amounts, gives more depth to a recipe. An example of a reduction is demi-glace, in which rich beef stock is combined with madeira or sherry and slowly cooked until thick.
HOW TO MAKE CHICKEN, BEEF, VEGETABLE AND FISH STOCKS FROM SOME BASIC INGREDIENTS:
Beef
LIQUID: 4 quarts cold water
MEAT: 2 pounds lean beef shank trimmings and 2 pounds beef shank with bone
VEGETABLES: 2 carrots, 2 leeks, 1 rib celery, 4 cloves garlic, 1 ripe tomato, 1 onion
SEASONINGS: 2 cloves, 2 branches thyme leaves, 1 bay leaf, 2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
COOKING TIME: 4 to 6 hours
YIELD: 3 quarts
Chicken
LIQUID: 6 quarts cold water
MEAT: 2- to 3-pound whole chicken or 5 pounds chicken bones
VEGETABLES: 1 carrot, 4 ribs celery, 1 large onion
SEASONINGS: 1 to 2 bay leaves, 10 peppercorns, 8 to 10 sprigs fresh parsley, 6 to 8 sprigs fresh thyme
COOKING TIME: 3 to 6 hours
YIELD: 5 quarts
Vegetable
LIQUID: 2 1/2 quarts cold water
MEAT: None
VEGETABLES: 2 carrots, 1 onion, 2 ribs celery, 1 bunch green onions, 4 garlic cloves
SEASONINGS: 8 branches parsley, 6 sprigs thyme, 2 bay leaves
COOKING TIME: 45 minutes
YIELD: 2 quarts
Fish
LIQUID: 3 quarts cold water, 1 cup dry white wine, 1 teaspoon lemon juice
MEAT: 2 1/2 pounds fresh fish bones and heads, from white-fleshed, saltwater fish
VEGETABLES: 1 onion, 1/2 leek, 2 ribs celery, 1/4 cup fresh mushroom stems
SEASONINGS: 8 peppercorns, 1 bay leaf, 3 sprigs fresh thyme, 8 parsley stems
COOKING TIME: 25 to 45 minutes
YIELD: 2 quarts
TORTELLINI IN BEEF BROTH
Preparation time: 5 minutes
Cooking time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings
This is an easy weekday soup if you use stock and tortellini from your freezer. Developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
10 cups beef broth
1 1/2 pounds fresh or frozen cheese-or meat-filled tortellini
2 cups chopped escarole
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Crushed red pepper flakes
1. Heat broth to a boil in large, heavy saucepan. Add tortellini and escarole; cook until pasta is tender, about 5 minutes, or according to package directions.
2. Spoon broth and pasta into soup bowls; serve hot, topped with grated Parmesan and pepper flakes, if desired.
Nutrition information per serving (based on commercial low-sodium broth):
Calories …….. 335 Sodium …… 635 mg Fat ……. 10 g
Carbohydrates .. 37 g Cholesterol .. 25 mg Protein … 23 g
ROASTED VEGETABLE RISOTTO
Preparation time: 10 minutes
Cooking time: 70 minutes
Yield: 4 servings
Developed in the Tribune test kitchen.
1 butternut squash, 2 to 3 pounds, halved, seeded
2 large red bell peppers, halved, seeded
1 head garlic, cloves separated but not peeled
6 shallots, unpeeled
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 bunch green onions, trimmed
1/4 to 1/2 pound assorted fresh mushrooms, cleaned
3 cups arborio or short-grain rice
1/2 cup white wine
2 quarts vegetable broth, heated
Salt, ground black pepper to taste
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash, peppers, garlic and shallots in a large roasting pan. Pour 6 tablespoons of the oil over vegetables; rub to coat all surfaces. Turn squash and peppers cut-side down in the pan; bake 30 minutes.
2. Remove pan from oven; stir in green onions and mushrooms until coated with oil. Roast 15 minutes longer; allow vegetables to cool enough to handle. Remove peel from squash; cut squash and peppers into medium chunks. Squeeze garlic and shallots from peels and chop. Slice green onions. Set all vegetables aside.
3. Heat remaining oil in heavy saucepan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add rice; stir to coat grains. Add wine; allow to cook until mostly absorbed, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in vegetable broth, a cup at a time, allowing rice to absorb each addition. Continue adding broth just until the rice is cooked through, about 20 minutes.
4. Stir in vegetables. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Let stand 1 or 2 minutes, covered.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories ……… 790 Sodium …… 35 mg Fat …….. 28 g
Carbohydrates .. 123 g Cholesterol .. 0 mg Protein …. 12 g
LATIN CHICKEN SOUP
Preparation time: 35 minutes
Cooking time: 15 minutes
Yield: 8 servings
Adapted from “The Good Housekeeping Step-by-Step Cookbook.”
10 cups chicken broth
2 pounds potatoes, peeled, cooked until fork-tender
3 cups cooked chicken meat, skin, fat removed, cut into bite-size pieces
1 can (15 1/4 to 16-ounce) corn, or 2 cups frozen
2 teaspoons salt, or to taste
1/4 cup each: fresh lime juice, chopped cilantro
Tortilla chips, lime wedges
1. Heat chicken broth in large Dutch oven or stockpot over medium heat. Mash half of the potatoes; add to broth. Dice remaining potatoes; add to the broth. Cook 5 minutes.
2. Stir chicken pieces, corn and salt into broth; heat through. Stir in lime juice and chopped cilantro; cook 2 minutes. Serve hot in bowls with tortilla chips and lime wedges.
Nutrition information per serving:
Calories …….. 380 Sodium …… 850 mg Fat …….. 10 g
Carbohydrates .. 39 g Cholesterol .. 80 mg Protein …. 33 g
