Stock - via Julia
INGREDIENTS
4 pounds beef bones (cut into 3 inch pieces)
2 each large carrots, onions, and celery ribs (roughly chopped)
7 quarts cold water (if you have lousy tap water, buy bottled)
3 large cloves fresh garlic (Smashed or as Julia would say,” WHAM, “)
1/2 cup canned Italian plum tomato (roughly chopped)
1 each herb bouquet
Tie, in a piece of cheese cloth, 4 allspice berries, 6 black peppercorns, 1/2 tsp dried thyme, 1 small bay leaf, and 4 sprigs of fresh parsley (roughly chopped)
METHOD
1. Preheat your oven to 450 degrees. Arange the bones and 1/2 cup of each vegetable in a large roasting pan to form a single layer. Roast this mixture, turning frequently, until the bones turn a walnut brown. Transfer the roasted bones and vegetables to a suitable size stock pot.
2. Discard the fat and then de-glaze the pan. To do this: set the pan on the large burner on the stove top, add 2 cups of water to the pan, bring the mixture to a boil over medium high heat. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pan. Add the pan juices to the bones and the vegetables in the pot.
3. Add the herb bouquet and the rest of the vegetables to the pot along with enough water to cover the ingredients by at least two inches. Bring this mixture to a simmer on top of the stove. Initially there will be a grayish scum that will rise to the top of the pot. Keep alert for this and continuously scoop it out until it no longer appears.
4. Loosly cover the pot. Continue to cook the stock at a constant slow simmer for at least 4 hours. Skim off any fat that forms on top and add a little boiling water from time to time, especially if you notice that the stock level in the pot has dropped.
5. Strain the stock through a colander into large bowl and carefully remove any grease that rises to the surface. Strain the stock again. This time, line the colander with a double layer of cheese cloth.
6. Pour the stock into a clean roasting pan and allow it to cool at room temperature. This step must be complete in less then 2 hours to prevent the growth of spoilage bacteria.
7. Transfer the cooled stock into suitable size container and refrigerate or freeze.