A Basic

Hello! How are you today? I hope you’re warm and comfortable, where ever you are. I spent the weekend with my sister and her family, and her two little boys had just gotten sick with your standard cold. Of course, that didn’t stop me from playing and hugging and kissing cheeks, and now I’ve come down with the same bug. Worth it!

This cold is actually what inspired this entry; what’s better for a cold than home-made stock? When I came home sick from work yesterday, I couldn’t think of a single thing I wanted to eat, and I really didn’t feel like pounding juice and water; however, the thought of sipping some piping hot stock from a big mug sounded like heaven. Not to toot my own horn, but I was quite pleased with myself for having just that in the freezer. It just so happens that I spent a recent weekend making a nice big batch of beef broth, which I’ve never done before. Once again, it was a recipe I found online that sounded like it would work out well, and seemed simple enough. If nothing else, I figured everyone should know how to make stock – it’s easy, and it’s a basic added to so many dishes.

I will likely do some things differently next time (isn’t that always the case?), but I’m pretty pleased with how it turned out. I started out as the author suggested: I roasted the bones and chopped veggies in the oven to give the stock a deeper flavor. However, there was just too much stuff in the roasting pan for anything to really develop a nice color; next time I’m going to either use two pans or just brown in batches. Besides that snag, the process went really smoothly. While I was tending to the simmering stock (I added herbs and spices to what I had roasted, and covered with water), I kept myself entertained by listening to Nerdist podcasts (if you don’t know about this, you SHOULD – www.nerdist.com), nursing a glass of wine and playing with the dog.

After about 6 hours, I pulled all the big chunks out with tongs, and ran the rest through a fine mesh strainer lined with cheese cloth. The end result was this beautiful dark-golden broth, which I then stuck in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, I followed an online suggestion and filled jelly jars (you know, the little jars with 2-part tops for canning?) using a funnel for freezing. I wasn’t sure if that would work, but the package said they were freezer safe, so I figured, “Eh, why not?” It worked like a charm! I used 8-oz jars so that I would be able to easily grab, say, two cups without having to thaw a bunch and measure from there. I ended up having a ton of stock, so I filled 12 jars and a gallon-size zip top baggie (I nested it in my 8-cup Pyrex measuring cup to make it easier to fill and freeze).

This project worked out so well! I ended up using the eight cups from the baggie in beef stew just a few days later, and it was easily the best I’ve ever made. I used a couple jars in my failed Beer Cheese Soup adventure, and have a couple other recipes that could use some quality stock. Of course, if this cold runs much longer I may not have any left! It hit the spot yesterday, and I’m planning on having another cup this afternoon. I love it – the steam coming off of it helped my nose, the warmth soothed my chills, the smoothness felt wonderful on my throat, and the homey-ness made my tummy happy. Like I said, it’s basically a cup of heaven. It’s amazing that simple ingredients (beef bones, celery, carrots, onions and seasoning) could make something so delicious.