Dark beef stock

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 kg beef bones, preferably partly with leftover meat
• 3 carrots
• 1 stalk(s) leek
• 1 piece(s) celeriac
• 2 onions, red
• 4 bay leaves
• 8 juniper berries
• 10 peppercorns
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 sprig of rosemary
• 3 stalks of thyme
• 2 sprigs of parsley
• 250 ml red wine
• 1.8 liters of water
• Oil for frying

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 3 hours 30 minutes; Total time approx. 3 hours 50 minutes

For four glasses of 400 ml each

Preheat the oven to 250°C (top/bottom heat). Spread the bones on a baking sheet and roast in the oven until they are golden brown. If you can’t find bones with leftover meat, we recommend roasting a piece of soup meat or a leg of shin with the bones. Peel the carrot and cut into coarse slices. Halve the leek, wash it if necessary, and also cut it into pieces. Peel the celeriac and cut it into coarse dice. Halve the unpeeled onion and fry it cut-side down in a pan until blackened. Heat the oil in a pan and fry the carrot, leek, and celery until crisp and browned. Add the tomato paste and let it brown. Deglaze with the red wine and water. Add the bones, onion, bay leaves, juniper berries, peppercorns, rosemary, thyme, and parsley and bring everything to a boil. Now most of the work is over; time will do the rest. Cover and simmer over low heat for 3 1/2 hours. Pour boiling water into the jars, empty them, and dry them. Strain the stock through a sieve and press the vegetables with a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Pour the stock into the jars while it’s still hot and then let it cool. I always freeze the stock. In this case, you have to leave space in the jars, as it expands when frozen.