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| Stock simmering in my slow cooker – I cooked this overnight and for about 10 hours the next day |
I often make my own stock, from a recipe adapted from various recipes and from an old reciped book of my maternal Gran (bless her departed soul) who taught my mom and who in-turn blessed me with her qualitative cooking skills! For the past few years on my journey to MY health and weightloss Utopia, I have used this stock recipe with both beef and lamb bones – ideally the way to go is to roast the bones first to draw out the flavor but adding it to a crock pot / slow cooker works just as well. The results without the oven roasting will be a lighter flavor but just as nutritious. My gran used to use add 1-2 tablespoons of vinegar to draw out the marrow from the bones, adding to the flavour of the stock. I used 2 table spoons of apple cider vinegar in the picture above.
Ingredients
1.5 – 2kg meaty bones, such as knuckles, shanks, oxtails or short ribs
2 onions, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, peeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, quartered
2 cloves garlic, smashed 1 large tomato, quartered, or 1/2 cup canned plum tomatoes
4 sprigs fresh Italian (flat-leaf) parsley or 3 tsp dried Italian parsley
1 sprig fresh thyme or 2 tsp dried thyme
1/4 teaspoon black peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1-2 tblsp Apple cider vinegar
Optional is finely cut green chilli for a spicy pungent flavor
I didn’t add salt – depends on how I am using the stock, I will add into that meal.
Here’s How
- Preheat oven to 220 degrees.
- Arrange bones in a single layer on a large roasting pan; scatter onions and carrots around bones.
- Roast until bones are sizzling, about 30 minutes. Turn the bones, and roast until bones and vegetables are browned, about 15 minutes more.
- Using tongs, transfer bones and vegetables to a deep and large pot. (If not using a slow cooker, use a pasta pot)
- Discard any fat from roasting pan.
- Immediately pour 2 cups water into pan.
- Using a wooden spoon, scrape up browned bits and pour into the pot.
- Add celery, garlic, tomato, parsley, thyme, peppercorns and bay leaf to pot.
- Fill pot with enough water to cover bones and vegetables (about 3-4 litres).
- Bring stock to a simmer over medium-high heat. Use a ladle to scoop off any foam from the surface, and discard.
- Reduce the heat to low, and simmer gently for at least 6 hours and up to overnight. (The liquid should have only small bubbles around the edges of the pot.)
- Add water as needed to keep water level over bones.
- Strain the stock through a fine-meshed strainer into a large container. Discard solids.
If using right away, skim off and discard fat.
If not, cool stock completely, then refrigerate, covered, until cold.
Scrape off congealed fat before using.
I store mine in the freezer in ready to use 2 cup measures.
