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Concentrated veal stock (1 litre, 4 cups)
Alternative recipe: concentrated lamb stock
Dutch version of this recipe

Concentrated veal stock is a staple in the classic French cuisine. It is used in sauces, seldom if ever as a base for soup. Veal bones are rich in gristle, which results in a stock that jellyfies when it is cold. However, the resulting jelly is not firm enough to be used without any further  jellyfing aids. On this page you find two recipes for veal stock: a light one, and a darker version. Some recipes also use hock, but I prefer to use only the bones, with as less meat as possible attached to them. You can make lamb stock in the same manner as dark veal stock.

Preparation in advance:
Wash the vegetables, chop them coarsely. The tomatoes don't have to be peeled, the skins will be removed when the stock is strained.

Preparation:
You can prepare your veal stock in two manners, resulting in respectively a light and a darker stock. When making lamb stock, follow the directions for the darker veal stock.
If you desire a light stock, start with blanching the bones: Bring enough water to the boil, add the bones, boil them for a few minutes, then rinse them under the tap with cold water. Put the bones in a clean pan, add vegetables, spices and water. Continue the recipe from * below.
To make a darker stock you don't blanch the bones, but roast them first in a hot oven (250EC/480EF). Then add them to the water in a pan, bring to the boil, skim off well, and add the vegetables and spices. Then continue the recipe from * below.
* Bring to the boil, let simmer for four to six hours. Take care that the stock doesn't boil. Keep skimming the surface now and then.
Strain the broth, and reduce it with two thirds. The original three litres water plus the liquids from the vegetables will result in one litre concentrated stock. Be alert, especially when the stock is almost there, because the evaporation goes on, and if you don't pay attention to it you'll end up with nothing but a black-bottomed empty pan! (I speak from exprience here)
Freeze the stock. 

Because the veal stock is so concentrated you will need just a little of it in sauces, sometimes as little as one tablespoon. Use a ice cube holder to freeze part of  the reduced stock. One ice cube equals ebout one tablespoon.

Do not forget to label your frozen stock, in the freezer all stocks look alike.

All text and pictures of dishes are the intellectual property of Coquinaria and may not be reproduced without permission and acknowledgement.