Sauces & Condiments : How To Make Vegetable Stock

Follow top Chef Colin Wint's recipe for a classic Vegetable Stock. This is a key ingredient in many recipes.

SERVING : Recipe makes 1.5 litres

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 45 minutes

INGREDIENTS
2 carrots
2 medium sized onions
4 celery sticks
1 fennel bulb
2 courgettes
1 tbsp vegetable oil
1 bay leaf
1 sprig of thyme
5 ml coriander seeds
1 ltr water
1 lemon

1 sharp knife
1 chopping board
1 large saucepan
1 saucepan lid or tin foil
1 measuring jug
1 wooden spoon
1 ladel
1 sieve

PROCESSING METHOD

Prepare the vegetables
* Chop the 2 carrots into pieces about 2 centimetres long.
* Now roughly chop the 2 onions.
* Next the 2 courgettes
* And the 4 celery sticks
* Remove any stalks from the fennel bulb. Chop into 4 large pieces, then chop each of these into smaller pieces.
* Finally slice the lemon

Into the pan
* Warm 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil in a large saucepan for about a minute over a medium heat.
* Then add the onions, carrots, courgettes, fennel, celery and lemon. Then add the bay leaf and sprig of thyme. Leave to sweat down for 8-10 minutes.

Add water
* Pour in the litre of water and stir well. Put on a lid, or if your pot is too big for a lid you can cover it in tin foil. Cook for about 30 minutes.

Strain
* Ladle the liquid through a sieve into a bowl or jug and discard the vegetables.

Using
* The stock can be used immediately or stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. You could even freeze it until needed.

 
Sauces & Condiments : How To Make Dashi

Dashi is a key ingredient in many authentic Japanese recipes. Follow our expert led guide to find out how to make it the right way. A great place to start if you are preparing a Japanese meal. Dashi is a seaweed and fish flavoured stock. In Japan it's a commonly used and essential part of many dishes.

Preparation Time : 3 hours
Cooking Time : 5 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 ltr Water
20 g Dried Kelp
20 g Smoked dried bonito flakes
50 ml Cold water
1 large sauce pan
1 muslin lined sieve
1 bowl

PROCESSING METHOD

Soak the kelp
* Place the kelp in a saucepan in the one litre of water and leave it to soak for at least two hours to properly expand, but for no more than five hours as it will become bitter.
* Then put the saucepan on a high heat.
* Just before the water reaches boiling point, when it just begins to bubble, use chopsticks or other suitable utensils to remove the kelp.
* Keep the water boiling for one more minute.
* Turn the heat off and pour in the 50 millilitres of cold water to cool it quickly

Bonito flakes
* Add the 20 grams of bonito flakes and leave them to soak for about 15 minutes. By this time all of the flakes will have sunk to the bottom.

Time to strain
* Put the sieve lined with the muslin cloth over the bowl and strain the Dashi through.
* Gather the cloth from each corner and carefully lift to create a pouch containing the bonito flakes.
* Squeeze the cloth gently to aid the liquid through, but don't press too hard or wring it, just let it drip.

 
Sauces & Condiments : How To Make Chicken Stock

A handy and flavoursome stock that can be used in a variety of dishes.

SERVING : Makes 2,5 litres

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 2 hours 30 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 kg chicken leftovers
3 1/2 ltr water
1 large white onion
2 medium carrots
1 large leek
3 large celery
5 medium button mushrooms
A handful of parsley
2 bay leaves
1 tsp whole black pepper

A large pot
A cutting knife
A chopping board
A strainer
A table spoon

PROCESSING METHOD

Clean the chicken
* Take your chicken leftovers and remove any excess fat and skin. Don't forget that it is very important to thoroughly clean all utensils afterwards.

Put in casserole dish
* Make sure that your pot is large enough for 5 litres of liquid.

Fill with water
* Pour 3.5 litres of cold water over the chicken and start bringing to the boil.

Chop the vegetables
* In the meantime roughly chop up all the vegetables except for the parsley which will provide more flavour unchopped. It is unimportant how you cut up the rest of your ingredients as they will all be strained out of the stock.

Discard impurities
* As the chicken starts to boil, foam and grease will rise to the surface - skim these impurities out and lower the heat on your oven to leave the liquid simmering.

Add all vegetables
* Now is the time to add your vegetables into the slowly bubbling pot
* Leave the stock cooking like this for between 1.5 and 2 hours.

Strain the stock
* After it is cooked pour the liquid through a strainer into a pouring jug and leave to cool down to room temperature.
TIP : Between 4 and 60 degrees C there is a danger zone where germs can breed. Why not bring the temperature of your chicken stock down quickly by placing it inside a bowl of ice cubes?

Put in fridge
* Chicken stock is very versatile. It is useful to always have it handy in the kitchen as it can be used for a variety of dishes.
* Once it has cooled down, cover and place in your fridge where it will keep for up to 4 days or in the freezer, where it will taste delicious for up to 2 months.

 
Classic : How To Make Fish Stock

Fish is the base for many different dishes. It can be made in large batches and stored in the freezer for a long while.

Preparation Time : 15 minutes
Cooking Time : 55 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 kg fish bones
2 ltr water
3 celery stalks, roughly chopped
1 onion, chopped
1 fennel bulb, roughly chopped
1 head of garlic, cut in halves
50 g white mushrooms, sliced
1 tbsp black peppercorns
a few sprigs of parsley
2 bay leaves

1 saucepan
1 spoon
1 sieve
1 bowl

PROCESSING METHOD

Make the stock
* Place a large saucepan onto the hob. Add the fish bones, celery, onion, fennel, garlic and the mushrooms. Cover it all with the water. Turn the heat onto high. Make sure that everything is submerged under the water.
* Once simmering, skim the surface with a spoon and discard any impurities.
* Add the peppercorns, bay leaves and the parsley. Push it all under, making sure that everything is well immersed. Cook for 30-45 minutes.

Strain and store
* Once cooked, strain the fish stock through a colander into a bowl.
* Use it right away, chill it for 2-3 days in the refrigerator, or it will keep in freezer for months.

 
Beef : How To Make Beef Stock

This is the base for hundreds of dishes especially for sauces and soups. Use for soups, stews, casseroles or whenever you need a highly flavoured base.

SERVING : 1.5 litres

Preparation Time : 10 minutes
Cooking Time : 3 hours 15 minutes

INGREDIENTS
1 kg of beef bones, cut into small pieces
30 ml vegetable oil
10 g butter
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 onion, chopped
3 celery stalks, chopped
1 whole garlic bulb, cut in half
1 tbsp tomato paste
3 ltr cold water
a few sprigs of thyme
1/2 tbsp whole black peppers
1 bay leaf

1 large saucepan
1 wooden spoon
1 slotted spoon
1 tray
1 sieve
1 bowl
1 pair of tongs

PROCESSING METHOD

Brown the bones
* Place a large saucepan onto a medium heat. When it has heated up, add the oil and the butter. Let them warm through.
* When the butter has melted add some of the bones. You will need to cook them in batches. Brown the bones on both sides being sure to keep turning them over to ensure that they are evenly cooking.
* Once browned, remove them and place them onto a tray.
* Now add the meat scraps and let them brown well.

Continue the stock
* Once the scraps have nicely browned, add the carrots, onion, celery and the garlic. Stirring occasionally, cook until the onions have caramelised. This will take about ten minutes.
* Now add the tomato purйe and cook for a few minutes with the vegetables.

Add the water
* Put the bones from the tray back into the pan. Cover them completely with cold water and bring it to a simmer.

Cook the stock
* As it simmers, occasionally skim off any fat or impurities that rise to the top. Now add the black pepper, thyme and the bay leaf and let it gently simmer for 3 hours uncovered. During this long cooking period you will have to skim the impurities, once more.

Strain the stock
* When the 3 hours have passed, place the sieve over the container and strain the stock.
* Discard the bones and the vegetables.

Some advice on cooling the stock
* Pour the stock into a jug. Then place the jug into a bowl of iced water.
* When it has cooled completely you can place it in the fridge. It will keep, covered, for a few days.

Store or use
* Freeze the stock and it will keep for months.
* However, bear in mind that the gelatine in the bones will coagulate and it will cool into one block. You will need to reheat it to return it to liquid again.