Making Meat Stock

The most delicious meat soups, stews, casseroles, gravies and sauces rely on a good home-made stock for success. Neither a stock cube nor a canned consommé will do if you want the best flavor. Once made, meat stock can be kept in the refrigerator for 4-5 days, or frozen for longer storage (up to 6 months).

Ingredients:

Makes about 3.5 pints (2 liters)

4 lb (1.8 kg) beef bones, such as shin, leg, neck and clod, or veal or lamb bones, cut into 2.5 in (6 cm) pieces.
2 onions, peeled, quartered
2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 celery stalks, with leaves if possible, roughly chopped
2 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
7.5 pints (4.5 liters) cold water
A handful of parsley stalks
A few fresh thyme sprigs or 3/4 teaspoon dried thyme
2 bay leaves
10 black peppercorns, lightly crushed


1. Preheat a 450oF/230oC/Gas 8 oven. Put the bones in a roasting tin or flameproof casserole and roast, turning occasionally, for 30 minutes or until they start to brown.

2. Add the onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and baste with the fat in the tin. Roast for a further 20-30 minutes or until the bones are well browned. Stir and baste occasionally.

3. Transfer the bones and vegetables to a stockpot. Spoon off the fat from the roasting tin.

4. Add a little of the water to the roasting tin or casserole and bring to the boil on top of the stove, stirring well to scrape up any browned bits. Pour this liquid into the stockpot.

5. Add the remaining water. Bring just to the boil, skimming frequently to remove all the foam from the surface. Add the parsley, thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns.

6. Partly cover the pot and simmer the stock for 4-6 hours. The bones and vegetables should always be covered with liquid, so top up with a little boiling water from time to time if necessary.

7. Strain the stock through a sieve. Skim as much fat as possible from the surface. If possible, cool the stock and then refrigerate it; the fat will rise to the top and set in a layer that can be removed easily.