Basic Stock
Updated February 23, 2016 
Contributors
Cookbook
La Cucina Di Lidia: Recipes and Memories from Italy's Adriatic Coast
Published by Clarkson Potter
Peel and cut the onion in half and brown it over an open flame or under the broiler. For a more deeply colored stock, the meats and vegetables can be browned in a roasting pan with a little olive oil.
10 Cups
CostInexpensive
Total Timehalf-day
Make Ahead RecipeYes
Dietary Considerationhealthy, low-fat
Type of Dishstock
Ingredients
- 1 pound chicken backs and wings
- 1 pound veal shin bones
- 1 pound short ribs of beef
- Salt to taste
- 2 ribs celery
- 1 small bunch Italian parsley
- ¼ celery root (celeriac), peeled (optional)
- 2 large carrots, halved
- 4 whole clovets, garlic
- 1 medium-large onion (See Note)
- 4 whole peppercorns
Instructions
-
Trim the meats of excess fat, rinse, and place in a stockpot. Cover generously with cold water, salt very lightly, and slowly bring to a boil. Add all the other ingredients, lower the heat, and simmer 3–4 hours, depending on the desired concentration of flavor. (I’d suggest more rather than less; for a lighter soup, a concentrated stock always can be quickly diluted with water.) Skim the surface of froth and fat as they accumulate.
-
Remove from the stove, strain through a very fine sieve, and refrigerate overnight. The next day, skim off the solid surface fat. The stock then can be kept under refrigeration up to 3 days or frozen for several months.
-
Variations: With the same quantities of vegetables and seasoning, beef, veal, or chicken stock can be prepared using the following amounts of meat and bones.
-
Beef Stock
-
1 pound each beef bones (preferably marrow bones), beef shin, and short ribs or oxtails
-
Veal Stock
-
1½ pounds each veal shin bones and muscles or neck and breast of veal, bone in and fat removed
-
Chicken Stock
-
3 pounds chicken backs and wings
1990 Lidia Bastianich and Jay Jacobs
