A deep, velvety, flavor-rich liquid distilled from basic ingredients; stock is the mother of sauces, soups, stews, just about everything we eat.  What’s the biggest difference between your food and the food at your favorite restaurant?  Most likely, it’s that they have several huge cauldrons of freshly made stock bubbling all day, every day, waiting to be incorporated into nearly every dish they serve in one way or another.  It’s real stock, made in large quantities from real bones, vegetables and seasonings.  Stock is what makes food taste special.

I’m going to show you how to make a dark veal stock, but the same concepts can be applied to any bunch of bones you have laying around.  This is not the stock you would find in the kitchen of a 2 or 3 Michelin-starred restaurant, but it’s serviceable and way better than most home cooks will ever lay hands on.

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