Taking Stock

Creating immunity boosting flavour bombs for your freezer.

There’s nothing I like more than having my big silver pot on the stove bubbling away and turning something that’s generally thrown out into liquid gold which in turn becomes the building block of many nutritious and delicious meals.

Making stock using the bones, heads and frames of animal protein makes total sense to me. If we are taking the life of another being then using 100% of it is a must. Being mindful and grateful as we do this is respectful to that animal and I thinks it’s the only way to eat really.

There are some great stocks available on the shelves now and their convenience is something that can’t be denied but they will never ever taste as good or be as good for you as the homemade stuff. With a little (very little) effort and some time you can create beautiful nourishing stock to have in your freezer ready to add to meals as you need it.

Homemade broth and stock will not only get you bonus points with your palate but your system will adore you for it. When it’s cooked over a loooong time minerals leach into the liquid. These minerals are easy to digest in liquid form and are an awesome boost to the immune system. Also released from the bones are glucosamine and chondroitin which have been shown to help arthritis and joint pain. Gelatin; which is a boon for restoring gut lining is present in stocks and broths made from bones as is glycine which helps promote sleep and calmness. So you see, there is a very good reason we crave soup, broth and stock when our system is feeling flat and a very good reason to make our own.

There are a few basics to making good stock. The ingredients are generally the same suspects; onion, carrot, bay leaf, parsley, black peppercorns and celery. On cooking celery slowly it releases a heap of volatile compounds that enhance the perception of sweetness and umami from the other ingredients, it’s like a great director getting a good performance out of the rest of the cast.

There is no science to making stock, each batch you make will be a bit different but I promise the flavour and health benefits will never waver from 100%.

The basic ingredients for your stock can be sourced easily and for very little cost. I am lucky enough to be able to catch my own fish for frames and heads. Chicken frames I get from my local butcher, the last time I got some they were $4 for 6 large, free range frames. And beef bones are also readily available if you ask.

Homemade Stock

For Beef Stock - 1 -2 kg beef bones (marrow, knuckle, ribs, neck)

For Chicken Stock - 2 - 3 (cooked or uncooked) carcasses

For Fish Stock - 2 - 3 fish frames or large heads (white fleshed fish)

Ingredients

• 2 Tblsp apple cider vinegar

• 1 large onion

• 1 large carrot

• 2 stalks celery

• 1/2 tsp black peppercorns

• 2 - 3 bay leaves

• 1 medium bunch parsley

Method

Place the bones in a large stock pot. Add the vinegar and cover with cold water. For beef or chicken stock leave to soak for 30 minutes before cooking. You can also roast the meatier bones in a hot oven for 10 minutes first to make a browner broth. Add enough cold water to cover the bones (not too much so it will boil over). Roughly chop the carrot, celery and onion and add to the water and then the bay leaves, parsley and peppercorns. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and then leave on a simmer - Beef for 12 - 72 hours, chicken for 4 - 24 hours and fish 1 - 3 hours. Cool and use or freeze in containers for future use.