❶ Broths: Meat, Fish, Mushroom

A rich broth is the key to the success of any soup and not only. In meat and mushroom broth, you can make a delicious sauce, add it when stewing, after all, a great broth with croutons or pies is also such a dish, the success of which is guaranteed. Broths can withstand freezing well, so you can prepare them for future use and defrost as needed. Location: Location:

Meat broth

A good broth cannot be cooked without bones. For a classic red broth you will need 2.5 kilograms of beef bones, 2-3 tablespoons of flour, 3 large onions, 4 large carrots, 4 celery stalks, 4 thyme sprigs, 2 bay leaves, 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns, a large 10 liter saucepan and enough clean water to cover the entire bones.

Cooking a good broth is simple, but time-consuming. Pick a day when you can be at home and supervise the process periodically. The bones will need to be baked first. They should simply be put on a baking sheet, sprinkled with flour and put in an oven preheated to 200 degrees Celsius. You need to bake the bones for at least an hour. They should turn brown but not charred.

Vegetables should be washed, peeled, put in a greased baking sheet and baked in the same way, but for 15-20 minutes.

Place the bones and vegetables in a saucepan and cover with cool, clean water. It is better to take purified water, because the taste of the broth depends on its taste. Hard, chlorinated tap water will have a negative impact on the end result. Add spices.

The broth is cooked for a long time - 10-12 hours over low heat. It should not boil, but should only boil slightly. From time to time you need to remove the foam from it, especially at the very beginning of cooking. During this time, the broth will boil down almost twice.

The finished broth can only be filtered and used for its intended purpose.

Fish broth

A good fish stock will require a lot of fish heads, tails, and bones. Do not throw them away when cutting fish, but collect them in the freezer and get a fragrant broth as a reward - an excellent base for fish soups, aspic, seafood risotto and many other dishes. You will need 2.5 kilograms of fish bones, 1 carrot and 1 stalk of celery, diced, 50 grams of butter, the white portion of one stalk of leeks, cut into rings, 250 ml of dry white wine, 5 peas of white pepper, 1 bud of cloves wood, 3 sprigs of thyme and 3 stalks of parsley, 7 liters of water and a saucepan with a thick bottom.

Place a saucepan on the fire and melt the butter in it. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery over low heat until the onions are transparent and the vegetables are tender. Pour in wine and mix well with vegetables. Wait for the wine to boil and add the fish bones. Pour water and add spices and spices. Usually a special sachet made of cotton is used for this, but it is quite possible to do without it. Add heat and bring broth to a boil. Cook it uncovered over low heat for 45 minutes. Turn off and strain.

Professionals do not advise using bones, heads and tails from elk fish for fish broths. It is believed that there is too much fat in them for the broth to turn out "clear".

Mushroom broth

The quality of the mushroom broth depends on the mushrooms you use. In Russian cuisine, there are many soups for which the "rich" broth of dried porcini mushrooms serves as the basis; in Western cuisine, mushroom broth usually means the one that is cooked from "brown mushrooms", more fragrant mushrooms with the snowy name cremini. Since every Russian housewife knows the intricacies of making a broth from dried mushrooms, we will dwell in more detail on a less well-known, foreign version. Take 100 ml olive oil, 1 large onion and 1 carrot, diced, the white leek cut lengthwise, 2 shallots, a small parsnip root, 250 ml dry white wine, 3 sprigs each of thyme and parsley, 5 black peppercorns, 30 grams of ginger root, cut into thin slices,2 liters of water and, of course, 300 grams of "cream" mushrooms.

Put a saucepan with a thick bottom on the fire, fry the vegetables over the fire and simmer and chopped mushrooms and simmer them for 5-10 minutes. Pour in white wine and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cover with water, add spices and herbs and increase heat. When the broth boils, turn the heat back down. Simmer for 45 minutes. Strain and cool. This broth should not be kept in the refrigerator for more than three days. Once frozen, it can be stored for up to three months.