Tag: beef stock

• 

  Italian Chicken Stock: Brodo Di Pollo

  This is another amazing Italian stock recipe from giallo zafferano. Traditionally it calls for an old hen (una gallina) but I have used two free-range chicken carcasses that still had some meat on them.

  I want to share with you my experience following the recipe. The result is a lovely clear broth that tastes and smells amazing! 

  Note:

  1. Takes about 20 minutes to prepare and an hour to simmer.
  2. You will get about 1 – 1.5 litres of stock.
  3. I wrote about their beef stock here and the vegetable version here.

  Steps

  1. Blanching the chicken
  2. Preparing the vegetables
  3. Simmering
  4. Sieving the broth
  5. Freezing and using

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 fry pan
  • 1 large sauce pan or stock pot
  • Small meshed sieve/strainer
  • Paper towel (optional)

  Ingredients

  • ~1kg of the chicken frames, off cuts etc
  • 2L water
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 bay leaves
  • A few parsley sprigs
  • Salt to taste
  • Black peppercorns (whole or ground) to taste

  Blanching the chicken

  This is my addition to the recipe. I blanch the chicken quickly first to remove the scum you get when you boil chicken. It reduces the fat of the finished stock too. See my method here – blanching chicken.

  

  Much cleaner:

  

  Preparing the vegetables

  1. Roughly chop the 2 celery sticks and 2 carrots and add them to the stock pot.
  2. Peel the onion then slice it in half. 
  3. Splash a bit of olive oil in a fry pan and cook the inside face of onion halves until slightly charred.
  4. Add the now charred and softened onion halves to the stock pot.
  5. Add to the stock pot the:
     • 2 garlic cloves
     • 2 bay leaves
     • parsley
     • 2L of water;
     • Salt and peppercorns.
  6. Finally, add the chicken.

  

  

  

  Simmering

  Bring to to a rolling boil and then simmer on low heat for about an hour, stirring occasionally.

  Sieving the broth

  1. Use a small meshed sieve or strainer to remove the meat, bones and vegetables.
  2. If using straight away to make a meal, you can use a Gravy And Fat Separator or chill slightly and remove the fat layer as it forms with a ladle/spoon or paper towel.
  3. If you are not using the broth immediately (and this is my preference), use the above techniques and then freeze the broth.

  Freezing and using

  When I come to use the frozen broth I scrape off the fat layer, if any,  with a spoon. Then I let the stock defrost.

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more Italian cooking secrets and uses for stock : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 24, 2020

• 

  Italian Beef Stock: Brodo Di Manzo

  The amazing Italian cooking website giallo zafferano presents this traditional Italian beef broth just perfectly.

  I made it the other day and share with you the steps below along with a few tricks to remove most of the fat. The result is a lovely clear broth that tastes and smells amazing! 

  Note:

  1. Takes about 20 minutes to prepare and 3 hours to simmer.
  2. You will get about 1 litre of stock.
  3. I wrote about their chicken stock here and will post the vegetable version soon.

  Steps

  1. Preparing the vegetables
  2. Adding the meat and bones
  3. Simmering
  4. Sieving the broth
  5. Freezing and using

  Equipment

  • 1 chef’s knife
  • 1 fry pan
  • 1 large sauce pan or stock pot
  • Small meshed sieve/strainer
  • Fat separator (optional)
  • Paper towel (optional)

  Ingredients

  • ~1kg of the cheaper beef cuts
  • ~400g of beef bones
  • 2 celery sticks, chopped
  • 2 carrots, chopped
  • 1 onion, halved
  • 100g tomatoes, halved
  • 4L water
  • A dash of olive oil
  • 2 cloves
  • Salt to taste
  • Black peppercorns (whole or ground) to taste

  Preparing the vegetables

  1. Roughly chop the 2 celery sticks and 2 carrots and add them to the stock pot.
  2. Cut the 100g of fresh tomatoes in half and add them too.
  3. Peel the onion then slice it in half. 
  4. Splash a bit of olive oil in a fry pan and cook the onion until it is slightly charred.
  5. Add the now charred and softened onion halves to the stock pot.
  6. Add the 2 cloves and then pepper to taste.

  

  

  Adding the meat and the bones

  1. Add the ~1kg beef and the ~400g of beef bones to the stock pot.
  2. Add 4L of water to the stock pot.
  3. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat.

  

  

  Simmering

  Simmer on very low heat for about 3 hours or until there is about 1L of liquid remaining. Stir occasionally.

  Sieving the broth

  1. Use a small meshed sieve or strainer to remove the meat, bones and vegetables.
  2. If using straight away to make a meal, you can use a Gravy And Fat Separator or chill slightly and remove the fat layer as it forms with a ladle/spoon or paper towel.
  3. If you are not using the broth immediately (and this is my preference), use the above techniques and then freeze the broth.

  

  

  Freezing and using

  When I come to use the frozen broth I do this:

  1. Scrape off the fat layer with a spoon.
  2. Let it defrost slowly, you can use a spoon or paper towel to absorb even more fat.

  

  Looking clean:

  

  

  Enjoy,

  PK

  Here are some more Italian cooking secrets and uses for stock : 

  Written by

  PK

  ·

  April 7, 2020