Bone Stock

Ingredients

• a quart of water
• a pound of bones
• a small quantity of salt
• a carrot
• a leek
• an onion
• a clove
• a little celery
• a bay leaf
• a bunch of parsley
• a sprig of thyme
• six peppercorns
• half a blade of mace

Method

1. 1

   Place bones in a clean saucepan and cover with cold water (1 quart per pound of bones).

2. 2

   Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 5 hours.

3. 3

   Skim off scum and add salt to help.

4. 4

   After 3 hours, add flavoring ingredients if desired.

5. 5

   Strain and store in a cool place.

Nutrition per serving

As published

This recipe was extracted from The girl's own cookery book (1882) by Phillis Browne, page 39. The excerpt below is the record exactly as published.

a quart of water to a pound of bones. I dare say it will be remembered that when we were speaking of boiling meat we said that when we wanted to keep the goodness in the meat we placed it in boiling water ; when we wished to draw the goodness out we put it in cold water. On this occasion we wish to draw the goodness out, we therefore use cold water. We now put the saucepan on the fire, and bring the liquid slowly to a boil. In a little while it will begin to simmer, and then we throw in a small quantity of salt, not as much as \vill be needed to season the soup, but a little to help the scum to rise. It is well to leave the seasoning until the stock is made, because we intend to boil the liquid down to about half its quantity, and if we add as much salt as is wanted now we shall find that our stock is too salt by the time the boiling is over, for salt will not fly away in steam, though water may. But salt will help to make the scum rise, and we particularly wish to remove the scum as soon as it appears, before it has time to boil down into stock again. Therefore we throw a little salt in, and for the same purpose we add a cupful of cold water two or three times after skimming, and after each addition heat again and skim once more. When we have cleared away as much scum as possible we draw the saucepan back, put on the lid, and let the liquor simmer very gently for five hours. If we wish to use it quickly, or if the weather is cold, we may at the end of three hours, put in the flavouring ingredients, a carrot, a leek, or an onion, a clove, a little celery, a bay leaf, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, si.x peppercorns, and half a blade of mace for each quart of liquid. We must remember, however, that if the weather is warm, stock will keep better if vegetables have not been boiled in it, and that even if they are so boiled, additional vegetables will have to be added when the stock is used in order to “ revive the flavour ; ” otherwise our soup will not taste fresh. I Bone stock boiled without either vegetables or seasoning 64 The GirVs Own Cookery Book. I f ■will not taste at all good when the five hours are over, and it is poured out, and carried into the larder. Never- theless, it will contain goodness, and we can make excellent soup when the time arrives for us to do so. Perhaps the bones do not appear to be sufficiently stewed after the liquor is strained from them. They ought to look quite clear and clean, and in such a con- dition that when dry we should have no objection to put them into our pockets. If this be so, we may stew them again next day with a small quantity of fresh cold water, but we must on no account be persuaded to leave them in the saucepan all night. When we want to make superior stock we take fresh meat. If we wanted three pints of stock we should need three pounds of meat — shin of beef for brown stock, knuckle of veal for white stock— and we must allow a pint of water to a pound of meat, and one pint of water over. The meat is to be cut into small pieces, the smaller the better, and covered with the cold water, then salted, boiled up, skimmed and simmered exactly as recommended for bone soup. The vegetables, a carrot, half a turnip, a leek, a bunch of parsley, a sprig of thyme, a bay leaf, three or four sticks of celery, and twenty peppercorns, will be sufficient tor three pints of stock. In both these instances the liquor in which meat had been boiled, and especially the liquor in which “rabbit” or “chicken” or even rabbit bones or chicken bones had been stewed, would be much to be preferred to water if it could be had. If fresh meat were used, any trimmings 01 meat or noultry that there might be should be thrown into the pa.t and stewed with the meat ; they would make the stock stronger. There is still another kind of stock which may be needed, and that is fish stock for fish soup. It may be made with the liquor in which fish has been boiled, and the bones and skin of the fish with an anchovy, an onion

Cook this with the app: pantry check, scaling, and the assistant.