Stock

The longer you cook this nourishing broth, the more savory and concentrated it will become.

You might say I hoard Parmesan rinds. I save them all year long, freezing them in a resealable bag. As soon as that first cold front sweeps in, I transform those long-collected ends into a rich and versatile Parmesan Broth.

It was a challenge for me to write a recipe for vegetable stock, because in truth, mine is different every time. I am inspired to make it whenever I am prepping lots of veggies, and I realize that what I have left over—the tops of four leeks, three parsnip stubs, carrot peels and tips, and a pile of parsley stems—is almost everything I need to make a great stock. When faced with the decision to capture these flavors so they can become the foundation for future delicious soups, stews, or beans, versus adding them to my compost pile, I try to choose the former. Once you experience how much better your recipes turn out with homemade stock (not to mention how much money you save and how many cartons you keep out of the trash), you’ll get more motivated. I usually keep a bag in the fridge where I save my veggie scraps, and when it gets big enough, I set my pot on the stove. The recipe below is simple and easy. You can also add corncobs, potato skins, mushroom bottoms, and even tomatoes. If you have a huge stockpot, as I do, you can easily double or triple this recipe. I keep as much stock in the refrigerator as I plan to use within 5 days and freeze the rest. —Myra

Editor's Note: Use this stock to make Neven Maguire's Sweet Potato and Coconut Soup

Editor's note: Use this recipe to make Chef John Besh's Basic Fond de Veau. I never make a strong beef stock, preferring instead the viscosity, collagen, and more delicate flavor that comes from using veal bones. This Veal Stock is based on veal shanks.

Homemade beef stock is richer and more flavorful than store-bought, adding lip-smacking depth to your soups, sauces, and braises. Freeze it by the quart and put it to work all winter long.

This all-purpose, all-season stock recipe works perfectly in any Vedge recipe. This will store for up to five days in the refrigerator. You don't need to peel any of the vegetables; just wash them carefully.

This is my standard duck or goose stock. It is the stock that I call for in the recipes in this book. In other words, you need to make lots. Every time you get a carcass, save it for stock. If you don’t have a lot of ducks around at one time, save them up for future rounds of stock making. You can chop up the carcasses before freezing, so they take up less space. Make this stock when you have a day off, as it takes all day. The good news is that you will be rewarded with 4 quarts or more of rich stock that is a perfect base for stews, soups, or wintertime risottos or polenta—or even eaten on its own as a clear soup.

Editor's Note: This recipe goes with Daniel Humm and Will Guidara's Manhattan Clam Chowder .

This recipe makes quite a bit of stock, but that's a blessing since it must cook for 24 hours. Freeze it in 1-quart containers (or smaller) so it's handy for later use. If you are pressed for time, by all means begin with a prepared version of demiglace (available in most grocery stores or online, such as Demi-Glace Gold brand), and dilute it with 2 to 3 parts water—this is a fine and practical option to making your own veal stock.

Don't bother peeling the onions; their skins add a nice, rich brown color to this vegetable stock. If you'd like, remove the skins for use in dishes when a lighter color is preferred, such as in risotto or cream sauces.

Chicken wings are great for stock. They're flavor-making powerhouses of bones, meat, and skin and are easy to find. Some supermarkets sell backbones and carcasses; feel free to use them toward (or instead of) the four-pound total.