Two Basic Brown Stocks "ESTOUFFADE" , For Sauces, Soups, or Stews

Two Basic Brown Stocks "ESTOUFFADE" for Sauces, Soups, or

 Stews 

8 lbs. veal marrow bones, sawed into 2-inch pieces

6 lbs. beef marrow bones, sawed into 2-inch pieces

16 oz. tomato paste

Miro poux :

          4 cups diced onions

          4 cups diced carrots

          2 cups diced celery

4 cups red wine

1 bouquet garni

Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 F. Meanwhile place the bones in a roast pan (of course you know by now not to braise) and roast for 1 hour. Remove the bones from the oven and brush with the tomato paste. In a mixing bowl, combine the Miro poux. Lay the vegetables over the bones and return to the oven. Roast for 30 minutes.

Remove from the oven and drain off any fat. Place the roasting pan on stove and deglaze the pan with red wine, and using a wooden spoon, scrape the bottom of the pan for browned particles.

Put everything into a large stockpot. Add the bouquet garni and season with salt. Add the water. Bring the liquid up to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer the stock for 4 hours, skimming regularly. Remove from the heat and strain through a China cap or tightly meshed strainer.

Brown Stock No. 2

Total ingredients to yield 8-10 quarts:

10 to 12 lbs. veal bones, beef bones, or a combination

3 medium onions, unpeeled, cut in half

4 large carrots, trimmed

1 root end of a whole celery stalk, 4 inches long, plus 2 celery stalks

6 fresh tomatoes cut in half

1 cup parsley, stems only

Cold water to cover ingredients; for full recipe fill 20 qt pot to 2 inches of the rim

Step One: Roast bones and some vegetable pieces

            Place bones and one of the onion, 2 celery stalks and one of the carrots in a large roasting pan. Place pan in a preheated oven and roast ingredients for about ½ hour or until bones are very brown. Turn bones over and continue roasting about 20 minutes until the reverse side is equally brown.

Step two: Make pan bourbon

Remove darkened bones and vegetables from roasting pan and place in a 20 quart stock pot. Place roasting pan over one or more burners and turn heat on to high. Quickly add two quarts of hot water; tap water is fine, to the roasting pan. Using a heavy spatula, loosen all residue on bottom and sides of the roasting pan.

Step Three: Cook the stock:

Pour the now completed pan bourbon into the stock pot. Add the remainder of the ingredients and top off with water to two inches of the rim. Turn heat to high until stock comes to a boil. Reduce heat to maintain a gentle simmer. Skim the top of stock the first 15 minutes. Continue reduction for six hours.

Step Four: Strain and de-fat the stock

Pour the stock through a fine china cap. Discard bones and vegetables. Refrigerate until ready to use and then remove solid fat on the surface with a large spoon.

Remarks Relative to the Making of all Stocks:

Whether brown or white, stock should never be salted,

because it is never served in its original state. It is either

reduced in order to make glazes or sauces — in which case the concentration answers the purpose of seasoning — or else it is used to cook meat; which must be salted before being cooked, and which, therefore, imparts the necessary salt to its surrounding liquor. 

Now that we have sufficient stock on hand, it is time to start making sauces--see the individual recipes.
© Al (Alex-Alexander) D. Girvan. All rights reserved.