VEGETABLE STOCK
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion
2 stalks celery, including some leaves
2 large carrots
1 bunch green onions, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
8 sprigs fresh parsley
6 sprigs fresh thyme
2 large bay leaves
1 teaspoon salt
2 quarts water
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 .
FISH STOCK Bring the stock to the boil, skim off the scum, then
1kg fish bones, chopped down into 5cm pieces and turn down and add the bay leaves. Simmer for 20
cleaned minutes
1 leek, white parts only, chopped Turn off the heat, add the parsley stalks, herbs and
1/2 fennel, chopped lemon slices then cover with cling film and leave to
1 stick of celery, chopped infuse for a further 30 minutes
1 small onion, chopped Using a ladle, scoop out the stock and pass through
1/2 garlic bulb a sieve lined with muslin cloth into a container.
500ml of white wine Again, be gentle and try not to unsettle the bones or
6 white peppercorns, (you can also use pink you’ll end up with cloudy stock
peppercorns for a more floral flavour) The stock will keep for 3–5 days in the fridge, or
1 tsp fennel seeds up to 3 months in the freezer
1 sheet of kombu, (optional)
2 bay leaves CHICKEN STOCK
parsley stalks Chicken carcass
1 handful of dill Carrots
1 handful of tarragon Celery
2 slices of lemon Onion
Parsley
Drizzle some olive oil into a large stockpot over a
medium heat and add the fennel seeds and Place chicken carcass (including any wing bones or
peppercorns leg bones) into a large pot.
Once the seeds are sizzling, add the sliced leek, Add celery, carrots, onion, parsley and pepper.
fennel, celery, onion and garlic and gently cook, Cover with water (about 8 cups).
ensuring you only soften and don’t colour the veg Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low. Cover and
Add the wine, turn up the heat and reduce by half simmer 2 – 3 hours.
Add the fish bones to the pan. Be careful not to stir Remove large bones and veggies, then strain
the stock too much once the bones are in, as too mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a bowl.
much agitation of the bones will turn the liquid Store in an airtight container in fridge or freezer.
cloudy
Top up with water until the bones are just covered,
then add the kombu
BEEF STOCK
4 pounds veal bones, such as knuckles and shin
2 pounds short ribs or oxtail (optional; add 3 more
pounds veal bones if not using ribs)
3 tablespoons sunflower or other neutral-tasting oil
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 onions, unpeeled and quartered
2 celery stalks, each cut into thirds
2 carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
4 garlic cloves, unpeeled and crushed
1 cup water or red wine
6 sprigs flat-leaf parsley
4 sprigs thyme
2 dried bay leaves
2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
Heat oven to 400 degrees.
Arrange bones and short ribs in a single layer in a
large, heavy roasting pan. Drizzle with oil and turn
to coat. Roast, turning once and stirring often for
even browning, until beginning to brown, about 45
minutes. Remove from oven, add tomato paste, and
stir to combine. Cook over medium heat for about
30 seconds (to let it brown a little, which cooks out
some of the acidity and intensifies the sweetness),
then add vegetables, stirring well. Return to oven
and roast until vegetables are browned and tender
and bones are deeply browned, about 40 minutes.
Transfer bones and vegetables to a large stockpot,
then spoon off fat from roasting pan and discard.
Set the pan over two burners. Add water and bring
to a boil, scraping up any brown bits from bottom
with a wooden spoon. Boil until liquid is reduced
by half, about 3 minutes. Pour contents of pan into
the stockpot. Heat oil in a large pot over medium-low. Add
Add enough water to stockpot to cover bones and onion, fennel, lemongrass, and bay leaves. Cover
vegetables by 2 inches (about 6 quarts). Bring to and cook, checking and stirring halfway through to
just under a boil, then reduce heat to a bare simmer ensure no browning occurs, until softened, 8–10
(bubbles should just gently break at the surface). minutes. (The flavor won't be ruined if the
Add herbs and peppercorns and very gently vegetables take on color, but the stock will end up
simmer, uncovered, over low heat for 8 hours, grayish.)
adding more water as necessary to keep everything Add clams and wine and increase heat to medium-
submerged. high. Cover and cook until clams open, 12–15
Carefully pour stock through a cheesecloth-lined minutes. Add coconut milk and 1 cup water. Bring
sieve (do not press on solids) into a large heatproof to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes.
bowl or another stockpot; discard solids. Stock will Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a large
be dark brown. Skim off fat if using immediately bowl, pressing on solids; discard solids. Season
or let cool completely (in an ice water bath, if stock with salt. Blend with an immersion blender
desired) before transferring to airtight containers. until smooth and emulsified, if desired.
Refrigerate at least 8 hours to allow the fat to
accumulate at the top; lift off and discard fat before
using or storing.
COCONUT CLAM STOCK
1 tablespoon virgin coconut oil or vegetable oil
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 fennel bulb, trimmed, coarsely chopped
1 lemongrass stalk, tough outer layers removed,
lightly smashed, coarsely chopped
2 bay leaves
6 cherrystone or other large hard-shell clams,
scrubbed
1 cup dry white wine
1 (13.5-ounce can) unsweetened coconut milk
Kosher salt