Good morning. I am Professor Basil Simmers, and I would like to talk about stock. Please sit down. This will take some time. I will begin by taking a drink of water. Please wait.
What stock is
Stock is the quiet foundation of a good kitchen. It is a liquid made by simmering bones, vegetables and time. It has no flavour of its own, in the sense that it contains all flavours at once.
What soup is
Soup is a dish made from stock, with extras. Soup has a personality. Stock has a past.
Why the difference matters
If you serve stock as soup, your guests will feel cold and misunderstood. If you serve soup as stock, your sauce will taste like a dinner that has lost its way. The error is easy to make and hard to forgive.
How to make fish stock
Begin with the heads and bones of fish. Do not complain about the heads. They are the most honest part of the animal.
- Rinse the bones in cold water
- Add an onion, a stick of celery and a leaf of something green
- Cover with water, and bring slowly to a simmer
- Skim the top, with a calm hand and a clean spoon
- Simmer for twenty minutes, not an hour, since fish is delicate
- Strain through a cloth, as one strains a difficult friend
Mistakes to avoid
Do not boil. Boiling clouds the stock and makes it angry. Do not salt too early. Do not leave the pot alone. Do not allow Pancake to look into the pot, as he will fall in.
“Stock is patience made liquid.” Professor Basil Simmers
A digression
During my third year at the school, I once left a stock simmering for three days. The result was so concentrated that it could be sliced. We served it in cubes, at a ceremony. It was a great success, and also a great mistake.
Storage
Stock may be refrigerated for three days or frozen for three months. Label it, so that you know which is which. An unlabelled stock is a mystery, and the kitchen already has enough of those.
I will now pause for a nap. Class dismissed.
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