Homemade chicken stock powder (Thermomix)

Difficulty : easy

Preparation time : 5 min
Total time : 1h 35 min
Serving size : 1 jar

Ingredients
300 g chicken, boneless and skinless, sinew free (from approx 500 g whole chicken legs), cut into pieces
200 g mixed white vegetables (e.g. celeriac, onions, garlic, leek), cut into pieces as needed
4 sprigs mixed fresh herbs (e.g. rosemary, thyme, parsley), leaves only
150 g coarse salt
100 g white wine
1 dried bay leaf
1 whole clove
5 coriander seeds

Preparation

1. Place chicken into mixing bowl, mince 5 sec/speed 7. Transfer into a bowl and set aside.
2. Place mixed white vegetables and mixed fresh herbs into mixing bowl, chop 10 sec/speed 5. Scrape down sides of mixing bowl with spatula.
3. Add coarse salt, white wine, bay leaf, whole clove, coriander seeds and reserved minced chicken, placing simmering basket instead of measuring cup onto mixing bowl lid to help prevent splashing, cook 25 min/Varoma/speed 2. Mixture will thicken and become fairly dry.
4. Remove simmering basket, insert measuring cup, blend 1 min/speed 7. Transfer onto a baking tray. Flatten and spread evenly with spatula. Clean mixing bowl.
5. Preheat oven to 110°C. Bake in preheated oven (110°C) for 30 minutes or until dried up. Place baked chicken stock into mixing bowl, pulverise 20 sec/speed 8. Transfer into an airtight container and allow to cool for 30 minutes before using or storing in refrigerator.

Hints & Tips

1. 1 tbsp stock powder is roughly equivalent to 1 shop-bought chicken stock cube.
2. To make chicken stock, use 1 tsp per 500 g water.
3. Stock powder can be stored in the refrigerator for several months.
4. The salt in this recipe is used as the preservation agent. When mixed with water as described above, the stock does not taste too salty.
5. If you wish to decrease the salt used in the recipe, we recommend you to store the stock powder in the refrigerator.
6. Small quantities of sea vegetables, such as dulse, wakame or kombu, can be added to the stock for extra flavour.
7. You can also use leftover vegetables you have in your refrigerator. Weigh what you have into the mixing bowl to ensure the weight is consistent with the recipe.

Beef Stock

Ingredients:
4-6 pounds meaty beef stock bones (with lots of marrow), including some knuckle bones if possible, cut to expose the center marrow, and include at least a couple veal bones, for their gelatin
½ - 1 pound of stew meat (chuck or flank steak) and/or beef scraps, cut into 2-inch chunks (optional)
Olive oil
1-2 medium onions, peeled and quartered
1-2 large carrots, cut into 1-2 inch segments
Handful of celery tops, or 1 large celery rib, cut into 1 inch segments
2-3 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
Handful of parsley, stems and leaves
1-2 bay leaves
10 peppercorns

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 200°C.
2. Rub a little olive oil over the stew meat pieces, carrots, and onions. Place stock bones, stew meat or beef scraps, carrots and onions in a large, shallow roasting pan. Roast in oven for about 45 minutes, turning the bones and meat pieces half-way through the cooking, until nicely browned. If bones begin to char at all during this cooking process, lower the heat. They should brown, not burn.
3. When the bones and meat are nicely browned, remove them and the vegetables and place them in a large (12 to 16 quart) stock pot. Place the roasting pan on the stove-top on low heat (will cover 2 burners), pour ½ - 1 cup of hot water over the pan and use a metal spatula to scrape up all of the browned bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Pour the browned bits and water into the stock pot.
4. Add celery tops, garlic, parsley, bay leaves, and peppercorns to the stock pot. Fill the stock pot with cold water, to 1 to 2 inches over the top of the bones. Put the heat on high and bring the pot to a low simmer and then reduce the heat to low. (Temperature of the water should be between 80°C & 95°C). The stock should be at a bare simmer, just a bubble or two coming up here and there. (If using an oven-safe pot, place it in the oven at 85°C.) Cover the pot loosely and let simmer low and slow for 3-6 hours. Do not stir the stock while cooking. Stirring will mix the fats in with the stock, clouding up the stock.
5. As the stock cooks, fat will be released from the bone marrow and stew meat and rise to the top. From time to time check in on the stock and use a large metal spoon to scoop away the fat and any scum that rises to the surface. (Do not put this fat down your kitchen drain by the way. It will solidify and block your pipes. Put it in a bowl or jar to save for cooking or to discard.)
6. At the end of cooking time (3 hours minimum, 6 to 8 hours if possible) use tongs or a slotted spoon to gently remove the bones and vegetables from the pot (discard them, though if you see a chunk of marrow, taste it, it's delicious). Line another large pot (8-quart) with a fine mesh sieve, covered with a couple layers of cheesecloth if you have it. Pour the stock through the sieve to strain it of remaining solids. Let cool to room temperature then chill in the refrigerator.
7. Once the stock has chilled, any fat remaining will have risen to the top and solidified. The fat forms a protective layer against bacteria while the stock is in the refrigerator. If you plan to freeze the stock however, remove and discard the fat, pour the stock into a jar or plastic container. (You can also remove the fat, and boil the stock down, concentrating it so that it doesn't take as much storage space.) Leave an inch head room from the top of the stock to the top of the jar, so that as the stock freezes and expands, it will not break the container.

Makes about 4 quarts.