|
To talk about sauces we need to begin by talking about “stock”. Stock is the base of many of our dishes and certainly of our sauces. There are four types of stocks:
- Beef stock
- Vegetable stock
- Seafood (or fish) stock
- Chicken (poultry) stock
To make any of these we begin by preparing our base vegetables:
1 celery stock, 1 onion, 3 garlic cloves, salt and pepper.
Chop the celery, onion and garlic and “caramelize” by sautéing with one measure of butter sticks, sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper.
Place this base in a pot and add water (two quarts) then see which kind of stock you want to make:
Beef stock:
Place beef neck bones in the pot and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 3 hours. Remove the pot from the stove and drain its content into a strainer; the result – clear beef stock.
Vegetable stock:
Add carrots, squash, corn, and green peas. Bring to a boil and let simmer for 1 hour. Remove the pot from the stove and drain its content into a strainer. Avoid pieces of vegetables and strain well; clear vegetable stock.
Seafood (fish) stock:
Add to the pot a fish head, tail, or bones. Get some crab legs and shrimp carcasses and crack them with a mallet. Add them to the pot. Boil and let it simmer for 3 hours. Remove from stove, drain its content into a strainer; clear fish-seafood stock.
Chicken (poultry) stock:
Get some pieces of uncooked chicken backs (rib areas). Place them in a separate pot with water, salt and pepper. Boil them for 5 minutes. Remove the chicken parts from the pot and discard its liquid. Wash the chicken with cold water. Add the chicken parts to the pot where the “base” is and bring it to a boil. Simmer for 2 hours. Remove pot from the stove and drain its contents into a strainer – and voila! Chicken stock!
Now, we are ready to prepare sauces!
Remember it’s most important to eat balanced meals daily, drink eight 6oz cups of water and walk at least a mile a day!
|
