Best Stocks Recipes

BASIC VEGETABLE STOCK

Steps:

• Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Remember, the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor.
• Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
• Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Discard vegetables.
• Other ingredients to consider: mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus (butt ends), corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, potato parings . . . Get the idea?

CHICKEN STOCK

Steps:

• Put everything but the vinegar in a large stockpot. Bring the stock to a boil over high heat, then turn down to a simmer.
• Skim off any foam that rises to the surface. Add the vinegar. (It helps draw out nutrients and minerals from the bones into the stock.)
• Simmer the stock for 6 to 8 hours, covered, keeping an eye on it to make sure it stays at a simmer.
• Strain the stock through a fine-meshed sieve. Let cool.
• Scrape the fat that rises to the top. (Save it in the fridge or freezer for matzoh ball soup.) Refrigerate for up to 5 days, or freeze for up to 3 months.