In a recent class I ran we started by sampling shop bought stock, homemade and reduced homemade. The difference in flavour was a revelation to the class and they could tell that with a bit of effort, you have a base ingredient which will elevate your dishes
My recipe requires a pressure cooker, mine is 7 ltr (I also have one called “Big Boy” which is 19 ltr for when I’m cooking for a crowd). I appreciate that not many of you will have one. I’m a Pressure Cooker evangelist and this recipe means you can make amazing stocks in less than an hour. When we have a roast chicken or anything with bones, If I’m not cooking a stock in the next few days, I freeze them until I have enough for a batch.
This recipe will also work without a pressure cooker but just takes a lot longer.
I NEVER ADD SALT TO STOCK – this gives you so much more versatility when it comes to using it.
All of the vegetable ingredients can be a combination of peelings, scraps etc. Again, when I’m preparing vegetables I keep a bag in the fridge with scraps ready to go.
1kg of cooked bones (chicken or beef)
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery or celery tops
1 onion,
2 garlic cloves
2 bay leaves
Few sprigs of thyme
Few sprigs of parsley
10 peppercorns
4 shitake mushrooms
1 star anise (optional)
Roughly chop all the vegetables. no need to peel. Put in the pressure cooker along with the bones
Cover everything with cold water making sure that you leave at least a quarter space at the top. Place the lid on the pressure cooker over a high heat and bring to steaming. Once it starts to steam, reduce the heat and set a timer for 35 mins.
Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to release slowly until you can take the lid off.
If cooking without a pressure cooker, cover with water, bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 4 hours
Strain through a fine sieve into a jug and pop in the fridge. Once it’s chilled the fat will have set on the top. Remove this and the stock is ready to use or freeze
If you want a more concentrated stock (which is also useful if you have limited freezer space), after you have removed the fat, pop into a saucepan and bubble hard until reduced by 2/3. It will be dark and full of flavour. Use in sauces or make a lighter stock by adding water. It will taste slightly salty from the natural salts that were in your veg and bones.
Fresh stock should be sealed in an airtight container and will keep up to 5 days in the fridge or freeze in batch sizes suitable to your needs.
Ingredients
- 1 kg Cooked chicken bones
- 2 carrots
- 2 sticks celery
- 1 onions
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- few sprigs of thyme
- few stalks and leaves parsley
- 10 black peppercorns
- 4 small dry shitake mushrooms
Equipment
- Pressure cooker
Instructions
- Roughly chop all the vegetables. no need to peel. Put in the pressure cooker along with the bones
- Cover everything with cold water making sure that you leave at least a quarter space at the top. Place the lid on the pressure cooker over a high heat and bring to steaming. Once it starts to steam, reduce the heat and set a timer for 35 mins.
- Remove from the heat and allow the pressure to release slowly until you can take the lid off.
- Strain through a fine sieve into a jug and pop in the fridge. Once it’s chilled the fat will have set on the top. Remove this and the stock is ready to use or freeze
- If you want a more concentrated stock (which is also useful if you have limited freezer space), after you have removed the fat, pop into a saucepan and bubble hard until reduced by 2/3. It will be dark and full of flavour. Use in sauces or make a lighter stock by adding water. It will taste slightly salty from the natural salts that were in your veg and bones.Fresh stock should be sealed in an airtight container and will keep up to 5 days in the fridge or freeze in batch sizes suitable to your needs.
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