Recipe

Beef, Lamb, Or Veal Stock

Ingredients

6 to 8 pounds beef, lamb, or veal bones, including knuckles and leg bones with marrow, sawed into 2- or 3-inch pieces
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup tomato paste
8 tomatoes, coarsely chopped
2 large onions, peeled, halved, and sliced
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 whole heads garlic, cut in half horizontally
8 quarts water, cold or at room temperature
12 bay leaves
2 teaspoons dried leaf basil
2 teaspoons dried leaf thyme
2 teaspoons dried leaf tarragon
2 teaspoons dried leaf oregano
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, stems and leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon salt
2 cups dry red wine

Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
Place the bones in a roasting pan, drizzle the oil over the bones, and roast until brown, for about 15 minutes. Turn the bones over, and using a pastry brush, spread the tomato paste over them; roast for an additional 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, onions, carrots, celery, and garlic, and roast until the bones are a deep brown and the vegetables are tender, for about 25 minutes.
Remove the roasting pan from the oven, lift out the bones and vegetables from the pan with tongs, and place them in a large stockpot. Do not discard the juices in the pan. Add the water to the stockpot, then the bay leaves, basil , thyme, tarragon, oregano, parsley, peppercorns, and salt and bring to a boil.
Meanwhile, place the roasting pan on top of the stove over medium heat. Pour the wine into the pan and deglaze it by using a wooden spoon to scrape up the sticky brown bits clinging to the bottom. When the pan is deglazed, add its contents to the pot. When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer, uncovered, for about 3 1/2 hours.
Strain the stock through a fine-mesh strainer, skim the surface, and allow it to cool thoroughly. Discard the bones and vegetables. Refrigerate over-night. Remove any congealed fat from the surface the next day, and freeze in 2-cup containers or ice cube trays for use in individual dishes. Keeps for 1 month.