The secret to making wonderful soups and sauces is in the "stock". A "stock" is defined as a flavorful liquid made from simmering bones and aromatics in water. The heated water turns the collagens (proteins) in bones into gelatin and the gelatin is what gives your soup body and texture. When we had our meat market, customers would ask me to help them choose their soup bones. I always enjoyed examining the bones with my customers. Some bones would have a lot of marrow( the bones of a younger animal), and others would have little. Then there were those funny looking knuckle bones, that appeared to have no marrow, but were rich in cartilage, and when coagulated (heated) would produce a very rich and flavorful gelatin. I would always recommend a combination of both, a marketing strategy that would help my business and also produce a quality stock, which would satisfy the customer.

The first step in making a quality stock is finding some good bones. Your neighborhood meat market should have them in stock and if they don’t, they can order them for you. If you are fortunate enough to have freezer space, buy a case from them (they’ll give you a better deal) so that you will have your own stock...it takes a lot of bones to make a worthy stock. Once you have "dem bones" you are ready to make stock and "stock it up".

Standard Recipe for 1 Gallon of Quality Stock

8 pounds bones
6 quarts water
1 pound mirepoix
1 standard sachet

Mirepoix

50% onion (½ pound) rough cut
25% celery rough cut
25% carrot rough cut

Standard Sachet (sachet d’espices)

8-10 peppercorns, cracked
1 - 2" long bay leaf
½ tsp, thyme
3 - 2" stems parsley
1 clove garlic, crushed

Note: "Sachet" means in a " bag" (cheesecloth), but this is not necessary. Use your best judgement.