Stock

Yesterday we went to the Athens Farmer's Market. A lot of good stuff there: leeks, fennel, chard, first tomatoes of the season, and a lot more. We also stopped by Nature's Harmony truck. Tim and Liz Young had driven down from Elberton with meat and eggs. Check out the link to their website. We are huge fans of them and their approach to sustainable agriculture.

We bought all the beef bones they had (about 10 pounds) to use for stock, demi-glace in particular, an intensely flavored, highly reduced stock about the consistency of thin syrup. I freeze the demi in ice cube trays, and use the cubes in sauces--basically any time a dish is on the edge, and we need to ramp it up to 11.

There are some good discussions of stock in cook books nowadays. I take my basic approach from Anthony Bourdain's amusing riff on the topic his Les Halles cookbook. Here's how I did it. Note that there is an opt-out at step 8 if you just want to cut and run with a superb batch of beef stock.

1. Put 10 lbs. of bones on one or two baking sheets that have been lightly oiled. Take 2 Tbs. tomato paste and work it into the bones with your hands. It is messy.

2 Preheat oven to 350.

3. Peel and rough chop onions, carrots and celery in a 2:1:1 ratio. I use a big quarter sheet pan and to cover that I used about three medium onions, 4 carrots, and about 4 stalks of celery. Lightly oil and spread on pan

4. Put both sheets in the oven. Check regularly to make sure that nothing gets blackened. If that starts to happen dial back the oven temp to 325 and watch it. Stir occasionally. Remove vegetables when they have begun to brown.

5. Take the biggest pot you have, or use two. Put the roasted bones and the vegetables into the pot. Add water near the rim. Add a handful of thyme.

6. Turn up the stove. With all those solids in the pot it will take a long time to heat them up. Simmer, but do not boil the mixture for 6-12 hours. I often let it go all night. Skim off the foam as necessary.

7. Remove the bones and vegetables. Strain the stock with a strainer through cheesecloth. Rinse and repeat. You can reuse the cheese cloth. Just rinse all the goop out of it and spread it out on the strainer. I like to use a big conical strainer for at least the first part of this, when there are still a lot of solids lurking around the stock. They for a bed at the end of the cone and help to filter out even more stuff. At some point you may want to take a spoon and remove fat that had risen to the top.

8. You are now in possession of 1/2 gallon or so if high-quality stock. Strain it one more time, especially if you are thinking of bagging the rest of the operation. Portion it out in various size containers and freeze. Use as needed. Each time you do you will be happy.

8a. If you want to go for the glory take a couple of cups of stock for your own purposes. Keep the rest of the now well strained stock in the pot. Hopefully it is still morning. If it's not you might want to put your stock on ice until you have the time to bring it off. We still have another 6 hours or so to go. If there's time, just hang in there. It is going to get really good soon.

9. Estimate the volume of stock you have remaining. Divide by 4 and measure out that much red wine. Chop some shallots if you have them but don't get bent out of shape if you don't. It's not worth a car trip. Just get an onion and do the same. Boil wine in pot with shallots/onions until it is reduced by one half. Add to stock mixture.

10. Reduce the mixture at a simmer for 4-5 hours. The end volume will be maybe one tenth of what you started with and will cover the back of a spoon. Think light pancake syrup--only dark brown and glossy--and you will be able to recognize the finished sauce.

11. Taste. If you haven't made this before, you might want to do the tasting sitting down--it's that intensely good.

12. Take an ice cube tray and spray it with oil (cubes easier to remove that way). Spoon demi-glace into the depressions. Freeze and store in a freezer bag. Use frequently, but not too frequently. After all, it does take a long time to make. You don't want to do it every month. On the other hand, there's not a lot it doesn't improve. Experiment.