Recipe: Charlie Trotter's Meat Stock (and cooking tips, freeze ahead)

CHARLIE TROTTER'S MEAT STOCK

"Stocks are the building blocks of cuisine. At the restaurant, we use some type of stock or reduction to prepare almost every dish. Stocks are extremely versatile and can add a vast range of flavors to your cooking. They can be infused with herbs or spices, reduced down to any thickness, or used as bases for soups. Stocks can also be used in place of water to add a wonderful richness and depth of flavor to dried beans, lentils, and grains.

Making stocks and reduction sauces may seem like a time-consuming proposition, but they really require very little preparation time. Once they are simmering, they simply need to be skimmed every hour or two. In one or two Sunday afternoons you can make enough stocks and reduction sauces to last for several months (in the freezer). They can be frozen in ice-cube trays, popped out in frozen cubes, and stored in plastic bags in the freezer for several months.

Once you experience the new dimension the following stocks can bring to your cooking, they will become a permanent fixture in your freezer."

MEAT STOCK
Makes 2 quarts

6 pounds meat bones (beef, lamb, venison, or veal)
2 cups chopped carrots
2 cups chopped celery
4 cups chopped yellow onions
3 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tablespoons canola oil
1/2 cup chopped tomato
2 cups red wine
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon black peppercorns

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Place the bones in a large roasting pan and roast for 1 hour, or until golden brown, turning the bones after 30 minutes to ensure even browning.

Cook the carrots, celery, onions, and garlic with the canola oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat for 7 to 10 minutes, or until caramelized.

Add the tomato to the stockpot and cook for 2 minutes. Add the red wine and cook for 15 minutes, or until most of the wine has cooked out.

Add the browned bones, bay leaf, and peppercorns and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and then decrease to low heat. Simmer slowly for 6 to 8 hours, or until reduced to 2 quarts, skimming every 30 minutes to remove the impurities that rise to the surface.

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve and use as desired. The cooled stock can be frozen in ice-cube trays, popped out in frozen cubes, and stored in plastic bags in the freezer for several months.

There are five rules to follow when making stocks and reductions:

* Always use cold liquid. Hot water causes the protein and fat released from the meat to emulsify, which makes the stock cloudy.

* Don't use too much liquid. The higher the proportion of solid ingredients to liquid, the more flavorful the stock will be.

* Never allow a stock to boil. Boiling emulsifies the protein and fat, whereas simmering allows the impurities to rise to the surface where they can easily be skimmed off and discarded.

* Don't stir the stock after it starts to simmer. Stirring emulsifies the protein and fat.

* When straining finished stocks, allow enough time for the liquid to drain naturally, and do not press on the ingredients in the sieve.

Source: Charlie Trotter Cooks at Home by Charlie Trotter