How to make homemade stock and three easy soups to make with it
TUREFF• •0
Homemade stock turns leftover bones and vegetable scraps into the base of soups, stews, risottos and sauces. It costs almost nothing, tastes far better than most cubes and freezes well. Once you have a box of it in the freezer, a good soup is never more than half an hour away.
Chicken stock
You need:
- the carcass of a roast chicken, or raw wings, backs or thighs (raw bones give more flavour and body)
- 1 onion, halved, skin on for colour
- 1 or 2 carrots and 1 or 2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
- a few peppercorns, a bay leaf and some parsley stalks
- cold water to cover
Method:
- Put everything in a large pan and cover with cold water by a few centimetres. As a loose guide, about 1 kg of bones to 2 to 3 litres of water gives a well-flavoured stock.
- Bring slowly to the boil, then turn down to the lowest gentle simmer, with just a few bubbles breaking the surface. A hard boil makes stock cloudy and greasy.
- Skim off any grey foam in the first half hour.
- Simmer for about 2 to 4 hours, topping up with water if the bones become uncovered.
- Strain through a sieve, ideally lined with a clean cloth or kitchen paper for a clearer stock.
Do not salt the stock. You will reduce it or season the finished dish, and stock salted early can become too salty.
Vegetable stock
Use onions, carrots, celery, leeks, mushrooms, garlic, herbs and their trimmings. Collect clean peelings and ends in a bag in the freezer until you have enough.
- Avoid large amounts of brassicas such as cabbage and broccoli, which turn bitter and sulphurous.
- Potatoes make stock cloudy and starchy; beetroot turns it pink.
- Vegetable stock needs much less time: around 45 minutes to an hour of gentle simmering is usually plenty.
- Roasting the vegetables first gives a deeper, darker stock.
Cool, store and freeze safely
Stock is a perfect environment for bacteria if it sits warm for hours.
- Cool it quickly. Divide it into shallow containers, or stand the pan in a sink of cold water and ice and stir. Aim to get it into the fridge within about two hours.
- Keep it in the fridge and use it within about 3 to 4 days.
- Freeze it for longer storage. Many guides suggest using frozen stock within a few months for best quality.
- Leave space at the top of containers, since liquid expands as it freezes.
- Freeze some in ice cube trays or small bags for sauces and gravies, and some in larger portions for soup.
- Label everything with the date.
- Thaw in the fridge or heat from frozen, and bring it to the boil before using.
Once chilled, chicken stock often sets to a jelly. That is a good sign: gelatine from the bones, which gives soups a silky texture. The fat that sets on top can be lifted off.
Three soups from one batch of stock
1. Chicken noodle soup
Soften a diced onion, carrot and celery in a little oil. Add about a litre of chicken stock and simmer for 10 minutes. Add shredded cooked chicken and a handful of thin noodles or small pasta, and cook until tender. Season with salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon, and finish with chopped parsley.
2. Leek and potato soup
Gently cook two or three sliced leeks in butter until soft but not brown. Add two diced potatoes and enough stock to cover by a couple of centimetres. Simmer until the potatoes are completely soft, about 20 minutes. Blend until smooth, or leave chunky, and season. Add a splash of milk or cream if you like.
3. Red lentil and tomato soup
Fry an onion, garlic and a teaspoon of cumin. Add a mug of rinsed red lentils, a tin of chopped tomatoes and about a litre of vegetable stock. Simmer for 20 to 25 minutes until the lentils collapse. Blend part or all of it, season, and finish with lemon juice. Cheap, filling and freezer-friendly.
Troubleshooting
- Bland: reduce it by simmering uncovered, and season the finished dish.
- Cloudy: it boiled too hard or was stirred too much. It still tastes fine.
- Greasy: chill and lift off the fat.
What do you add to your stock, and what is your go-to soup? Share your recipes or questions in the comments.