Basic Beef Stock

Ingredients

• 2 lb (1 kg) beef or veal marrow bones
• 1 can (5½ oz/156 mL) tomato paste
• 4 cups roughly chopped yellow onions
• 2 cups roughly chopped celery
• 1 cup roughly chopped carrots
• 16 cups water
• 1 tbsp black peppercorns
• 8 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.
2. Roast bones on a baking sheet until dark brown, about 1 – 1½ hours. Remove pan from oven. Drain off all but 1 tbsp fat from bones; set fat aside. Add bones and tomato paste to a bowl; toss to coat. Bake for an additional 15 minutes or until bones are dark. Remove pan from oven. Toss onions, celery and carrots with reserved fat. Add vegetables to baking sheet. Return pan to oven and bake until vegetables are browned, about 20 – 25 minutes.
3. Transfer bones and vegetables to a large pot. Add water, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves. Make sure bones are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 4 – 6 hours.
4. Strain stock through a sieve into a large bowl; discard solids. Pour stock into shallow containers so it will cool quickly. Refrigerate stock for 4 hours or until fat solidifies on surface; remove and discard fat. Stock may be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 2 months.