Beef Stock
Recipe By: The New Basics
Serving Size: 8
Preparation Time: 1 Hour
2 large onions, unpeeled — cut in 8 pieces
1/2 pound leeks — cut in 3 pieces
1/2 head garlic — unpeeled
4 ribs celery — cut in pieces
1 carrot — unpeeled, sliced
3 pounds beef bones — marrow or knuckle
4 pounds veal bones — shin, knuckle & feet
1 pound oxtail — cut in small pieces
6 quarts water
4 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
12 black peppercorns
1/2 bunch fresh thyme
1 hot chilli peppers — optional
1. Place a rack in the upper third of the oven, and preheat it to 500°F.
2. Arrange all vegetables in a large deep roasting pan. Arrange the beef and veal bones and the oxtail over the vegetables, and roast on the upper rack of the oven for 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven, and transfer all the bones and vegetables to a large soup pot. Pour off all the fat from the roasting pan. Add 1 quart of the water to the pan, and bring it to a full boil over high heat, scraping all the browned bits in the pan. Pour this into the soup pot.
3. Add the remaining 5 quarts of water, cloves, bay leaf, peppercorns, thyme and chilli pepper. Bring to a boil, skimming off any foam that rises to the surface. Then lower the heat, stir, and cover. Simmer for 5 hours.
4. Remove the pot from the heat, and let the stock cool to room temperature undisturbed. Strain and refrigerate the cooled stock. Remove the hardened layer of fat from the top before you use the stock or before you freeze it.
