But I can be a bit of a food miser, and I didn't want to use up all of my ingredients to make a tasty beef broth. My solution? Instead of using the carrots, I used the peels. And instead of using the celery stalks, I used the tops that usually get thrown away. Throw in an onion, some water, seasonings and a few hours, and voila, beef broth. The best part was that I had enough to make dinner (beef stew) and to freeze. (I won't even go into the sodium content because I know my stock had MUCH less sodium than even the low-sodium varieties at the grocery store, yet the stock was more flavorful.) So take a lazy Sunday, simmer a pot of broth and save yourself some money.
Beef Stock
1Tablespoon oil
3 pounds beef soup bones
1 onion, sliced medium
1 lb of carrots
water
1 bunch of celery
2 tsp thyme
1 Tablespoon peppercorns
salt
1. Heat oil in stockpot. Brown soup bones with any meat still attached to bones, cooking about 5-8 minutes. Place bones on a plate. Add onion to stockpot, adding additional oil if stockpot is dry. Cook until onions are browned and caramelized, about 10 minutes.
2. Peel 1 lb of carrots like normal, but keep the peels (munch on the carrots as you cook). Place the peels in the stockpot with the onions and cook another 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Cut the top 6 inches off of the bunch of celery so that there are both leaves and stems, wash and place in pot. (Munch on the remaining celery as you cook.)
3. Place soup bones and any accumulated juices back into pot. Pour water into pot until it covers soup bones about 1 to 2 inches. Stir in thyme and peppercorns. Heat to a low simmer and continue to gently simmer (do not boil) for about 5 hours. Salt to taste. Skim off fat if needed. Strain broth through colander and/or cheese cloth. Use or freeze.