Whenever I have some time, I make plenty of stock and portion it out into containers and keep it in my freezer. I even put some into ice cube trays, so when I’m making a dish that could use a little more depth, I toss in a cube. I have shared my recipe for a flavorful chicken stock, and wanted to share this with you too, because I use beef broth for so many different types of things. They key to getting great flavor is in slowly roasting the bones in the oven and then adding them in with the rest of the veggies to slowly cook for a few hours until reduced by half.
One of the things I like to make with my rich beef stock is German pancake soup. It is a light but hearty meal because of the added sliced pancakes. I have had the opportunity to travel to Germany several times, and became totally enamored with their cuisine. I also had the opportunity to travel to Austria and taste their delicious version called Fritatten soup. The traditional version is served with a deep, clear beef consommé, but you can also use chicken or vegetable stock if you prefer.
***an original recipe from www.goodfoodgourmet.com
Beef Stock
2-3 large meaty beef bones with marrow (ask your butcher)
1 large leek cleaned, chopped or 1 small onion, whole
4 large cloves garlic, whole
1 small bunch fresh parsley
2 stems of thyme
4 large carrots, peeled, coarsely chopped
4 large stems celery, coarsely chopped with leaves
2 bay leaves
8 black peppercorns
16 cups filtered water
¼ cup soy sauce
3 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
S&P to taste
Roast your beef bones in a 350°F oven for about 30 minutes until they take on a little color but are not burned. In the meantime, add the filtered water, leeks (or onion), garlic, parsley, thyme, carrots, celery, bay leaves, peppercorns into a large pot and bring it to a boil. By this time, your bones should be nicely roasted, so add these to the rest of the items in the pot and reduce the heat to low and cook until liquid is reduced by half. Next add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce, taste for S&P and adjust at this time. Next, strain everything through a colander into a lidded container and let liquid cool completely on the counter. Once cool refrigerate overnight, and the next morning skim off the fat that has formed at the top of the stock. There really should not be that much, but remove it anyway. At this point, portion out the stock into smaller, lidded containers if you like or in some ice cube trays and freeze until you need it. You will get approximately 8 cups of stock from this recipe
German Crepes (makes 6-8” crepes)
¾ cup flour
1 cup sparkling water (or 2/3 cup water and 1/3 cup skim milk)
1 egg
2 Tablespoons vegetable oil
½ teaspoon salt
A good pinch of pepper
1 teaspoon fresh chives, chopped
This crepe is ideal for this soup it is lean and flavorful and absorbs the broth in such a lovely way. In a medium bowl, add the egg, water, oil, S&P and then add in the flour and mix well. This will be a thin batter. Once it is mixed well, add you chives. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes. Heat a small skillet and with a paper towel that has been oiled, wipe out the inside of the skillet so that the crepe can release easily from the pan. Add some batter to the pan and swirl to coat the entire bottom of the skillet. When the crepe batter has set, loosen the edges and flip the crepe to cook gently on the other side also. Then remove to a large plate and repeat the process until all of the batter has been. To serve, roll up each crepe and slice into thin strips and then add to your serving bowl. Ladle in your beef broth over the sliced crepes and enjoy!
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