Pork Stock

When making broth, roasting the pork bones adds a rich, deep flavour. If you're short on time, however, you can skip the roasting step and still have a richly flavoured broth — ideal for making, soups, gravies, and risottos, or for cooking vegetables and rice. Use pork hocks, neck bones, or bones removed from roasts or steaks. Simply store them in a plastic bag in the freezer until you have enough to make broth.

2-4 qts pork bones, uncooked
2 large carrots, broken in several pieces
2 large onions, unpeeled and halved
2 ribs celery, roughly chopped
2 cloves garlic, unpeeled and smashed
12-15 peppercorns
2 bay leaves
1 tsp. sea salt

Preheat oven to 450°F (230°C/210°C fan, Gas Mark 8).

Place bones in single layer in large shallow roasting pan; add half of the vegetables and 1 clove of garlic. Roast for 20-30 minutes or until bones are well browned. Transfer bones and vegetables to large kettle; discard any fat.

Pour about 1 cup water into roasting pan and bring to boil over medium-high heat, scraping browned bits free from pan(s). Add to kettle. Add remaining vegetables, remaining garlic, peppercorns, bay leaves, salt, and enough cold water to cover.

Bring to a simmer, occasionally skimming off any foam. Simmer, loosely covered, for 3-4 hours, adding more boiling water if liquid evaporates below surface of ingredients.

Strain into large bowl, pouring through large colander or sieve lined with cheesecloth; discard solids. Cool slightly; chill for several hours or overnight. Lift off and discard fat. To store, cover and chill up to 4 days or freeze up to 1 year.

Makes about 16 cups broth.

Cook's Notes:

• If not roasting bones, simply place all ingredients in large kettle and proceed with recipe.
• To Use a Pressure Cooker: In pressure cooker combine all ingredients (whether roasted or not) with enough water to cover. Pressure-cook for 20-30 minutes.