Stock is magic.
Thanksgiving dinner is a pause. I somehow put everything down for three days and focus on bringing one meal to the table. In a life filled with multi-tasking and the constant feeling that I lost a week somewhere in 2003 that I desperately need to get back, it's a moment of peace.
That peace begins with a deep breath and a pot of stock. Even before I've finished the menu, the house fills with the scent of roasting meat and rough-chopped aromatics. Stock is effortless and rote, a handful of ingredients with no complex techniques, simply roasting and simmering with a little deglazing in between.
But, for its simplicity, stock adds great complexity and depth to the meal that lades the table Thanksgiving day. It brings satisfying richness. It elevates pan drippings into gravy*, layers the simple sugars that glaze sweet potatoes and parsnips, and transforms day-old bread into moist, herbed stuffing. Let's hit the kitchen.
*Want to make the best, rich, thick, delicious gravy ever? Click here to find out how!
Rich Turkey Stock
Makes 8-10 quarts
Rich, full-flavored turkey stock is the flavor base for the best gravy, stuffing and leftover turkey soup you’ve every tasted. Need to save a little time? Roast the turkey, deglazing the pan with dry white wine, then throw the veggies in raw.
Ingredients:
6 pounds turkey parts like necks, legs or wings, cut in 3-4" pieces*
2 large onions, or 1 onion and 1 leek roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
2 tbs tomato paste
1 1/2 cups dry white wine or dry Vermouth
4 ribs celery, roughly chopped
6-8 parsley stems, about 2" each
3 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tbs whole peppercorns
*You're looking for cheap meat, less than $3 a pound, with some bone in it. Have your butcher chop it down for you.
Directions:
Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.
Roast turkey: Place turkey pieces in a single layer in a heavy bottomed roasting pan (you're going to put the pan on the stovetop later). Do not crowd the turkey. Roast in two batches if needed.Roast the turkey until rich brown, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
Begin stock: Remove turkey to a large stockpot. Fill with water to cover turkey by 4”. Place on stove over medium heat. When stock reaches a heavy simmer - nearly a boil - skim foam from the surface and reduce heat to medium-low. You want just a few bubbles breaking the surface each minute.
Roast vegetables: While stock warms add carrots and onion to the same roasting pan you used for the turkey. Toss them in the rendered fat and place in the oven. After 30 minutes, toss the roasting vegetables in the tomato paste and return to the oven. Roast for 10-15 minutes until golden brown, watching carefully not to burn. Transfer vegetables to stock pot with roast turkey.
Deglaze roasting pan: Place the roasting pan over two burners on medium high and add white wine. When wine comes to a simmer, scrape up all the brown goodness. When wine reduces to 1/4 cup, add additional water if needed to finish scraping the brown bits from the roasting pan. Pour deglazed pan juices into stock pot and add parsley, thyme, Bay leaves and peppercorns.
Finish cooking stock: Continue to simmer stock, partially covered, just a bubble or two every few seconds, for three more hours. Be careful not to let it come to a boil. Add more cold water if needed to keep meat covered. Skim any additional foam that collects on the surface.
Strain, chill and defat: After three hours, strain the stock and remove the solids, discarding them. Strain the stock through a fine sieve. Place strained stock in the refrigerator overnight. In the morning, skim the coagulated fat from the surface.
Taste a little stock with a pinch of salt. If needed, reduce stock by up to 25% to concentrate flavor. Refrigerate for three days, or freeze up to 6 months.
