3 replies to this topic

[Genesee Ted]

I want to share a recipe that I use at home for a whole bunch of stuff. Now this is all based off of classic technique so I do not claim this as my own "thing" per se, but I hope to present it in such a way that it is approachable even for the novice. It is not hard, but it does take time and your patience will be rewarded!I like to make a relatively large quantity, as it freezes well. This stuff in its various forms is an amazing base for soup if diluted or rich sauces if kept reduced. 6 lbs beef feet, cross cut to reveal marrow2 lbs pork feet, cut lengthwise1 lb carrots, small dice2 lbs onion, small dice1 lb celery, small dice1 medium size head of fennel, small dice1 head of garlic, peeled and roughly chopped1 6 oz can of tomato paste1 bottle decent red wine (I like Cycles Gladiator Cab)----- you will need half the wine for the sauce, half for you to drink while you cook1 bay leafwaterPreheat your oven to 420 and place all of the bones nicely spaced apart from each other on 2 half sheet trays (or whatever you have) and roast them until they are evenly browned on all sides. This will render quite a bit of fat from the bones, be sure to safely drain this off into a container to cool. Reserve for a future use. Set the bones aside until ready to use them later.Before proceeding, we should discuss cookware. I have a pampered chef deep roasting pan that fits on two burners, this works great for me. Use whatever you have that will fit all of this in it, but I prefer wide and shallow to tall and deep. Onward! Preheat your choice of cookware with about 4 oz of canola. First add your carrots. Get them spread out evenly across the surface and then let them sit. Don't stir them until they start to caramelize. You will be tempted, but don't. Once the start to sear, give them a light stir and get them even. Then add your garlic. Lightly toast and then add the fennel. Get yourself a nice sear and start to caramelize everything together. Next add onions. This will cool the pan down dramatically, but don't worry. Keep on it and caramelize the onions. After the onions, repeat with the celery. At this point, add in your tomato paste. Keep the mixture moving and thoroughly cook the paste. When it seems like the paste can take no more, deglaze everything with half the amount or less of wine. Get the fond up and reduce it back to dry. Add more wine as needed until it is all gone and all of the wine is reduced out. Add your bay leaf and fill your pan with water. Bring this all to a simmer and keep it barely dancing for 24-36 hours. Add water as necessary. If you can't keep it going, take it off and cook it later or leave it on simmer and don't go away long enough to create a problem, if you know what I mean. Now here is where a variation can come in. Usually, this amount of bones releases enough gelatin and flavor in the first 15-ish hours of cooking to strain the "first runnings" if you will and reduce them into a premium demi glace. Save all of the solids though and add them back to the pot and top back off with water and simmer another 10-20 hours or whatever you want (less even). You will still get lots of good thick stock here to use for soup, braises, sauce, etc. This is an excellent base for any number of sauces. Any extra can be frozen very easily and pulled out as needed. I hope that some of you get some use from this. It really is simple to do, but it does take some time and patience, as I noted above. It will however be much better than most of the stuff you buy at the store and if not cheaper at least a comparable price. A word of advice is to make sure you are not boiling this when the bones and aromatics are in it. Go gentle. Once it is strained and perhaps you are reducing it for demi or whatever sauce you like, you can generally cook it harder and faster, but as per usual, patience is a virtue!

[phalanxausage]

I've never added fennel to a stock. Sounds tasty. I also like the all-feet approach. I do beef shanks with pig's feet sometimes but I think I may have to try your way sometime in the next year. Thanks!

[Trub L]

If it's called "foot sauce," I'm in!