One of the first things I learned when I worked in a commercial kitchen was the difference between stock and broth. Stock is produced from the roasting of bones and aromatic vegetables simmered, broth is produced from meat, aromatic vegetables and more rarely bones. Texturally, they’ve very different, stock being richer than broth.

When I make stock, I freeze some in one cup containers creating small ‘pucks’ which I later put into ziplock bags. Smaller amounts of sauce can be made into ice-cubes and placed into ziplock bags for large use in small portion recipes. The flavour of a homemade stock rises head and shoulders above anything from a can or carton.

The original format of this recipe was for a much larger quantity, this is scaled more to home use.

4 lbs veal bones
4 quarts of cold water plus 2 cups
1 small onion, rough chop
1 carrot, rough chop
1 tomato, quartered
1 leek, rough chop
1/2 tsp peppercorns
1 small sprig thyme
1 bay leaf
2 cloves garlic, crushed

Rinse the bones well in cold water and drain well. Place bones in a large pan and roast at 425 for an hour. Add vegetables and roast an additional half hour.

Transfer bones and vegetables to a large stock pot, deglace roasting pan with two cups water and resulting liquid to stock pot. Cover with cold water. Bring the water up to a boil then reduce heat, simmer for 4 or more hours. Skim frequently. Add water as needed to keep bones and vegetables covered.

Strain liquid into clean stock pot using a fine sieve (fine sieve with cheesecloth results is a clearer stock). Return to the heat and reduce. Refrigerate to remove fat from stock. Stock will keep refrigerated for 3 to 4 day but will freeze for much longer.