Alexis deBoschnek, author of The Last Bite, shows us how to turn shrimp shells, corn cobs and parmesan rinds into a delicious beer.
Homemade stocks are the backbone of restaurant quality meals. They add something extra, a hidden super flavor that diners can’t quite get their heads around.
But beyond making dishes more vibrant and keeping costs down, making your own stock is one of the best ways to further expand your ingredients, transforming scraps into something new and useful.
“If you have the time, the flavors really are unbeatable,” says Alexis deBoschnek, author of “Last Bite,” which premiered April 19, “The other day I made a stock with a ton of ginger and a little turmeric. I felt a little sick and drank it for breakfast for three days and then was like, ‘Oh, the stock cured me!'”
DeBoschnek grew up doing stock with her mother, a master gardener and home cook who designed the family’s expansive vegetable and herb garden in the Catskills of upstate New York. “We really are a family – not just a family, but a whole community – committed to repurposing, repurposing and using our natural resources,” she says .
The seasoned recipe developer and viral video host (notably BuzzFeed Tasty’s “Chef Out of Water” series) compiled this handed-down knowledge in her latest cookbook, which contains more than 100 recipes that replicate each other and allow readers to maximize the use of leftover ingredients.
While celebrating sustainable cooking to the last bite, it’s not technically a zero-waste cookbook. “I tend to be intimidated by these types of books. There’s something about them that feels unattainable, shameful, and honestly kind of hard,” she explains. “So I really try to encourage people to be more conscious, but in a way that feels easy and approachable, with recipes that they can actually get excited about.”
The final chapter, “To the Last Bite: Soups, Instant Pickles, Syrups and More,” offers many ideas, such as turning perishable fruit into shrubs or making breadcrumbs from unfresh bread. The crowning glory, however, is the index of stock recipes.
While most people are probably familiar with the version made with chicken bones, deBoschnek also focuses on less traditional concoctions, such as a stock made from leftover corn on the cob, shrimp shells and even Parmesan cheese rind.
The shrimp broth, which comes together in about 30 minutes, is as simple as it gets. “You don’t need a lot of shells to get a lot of flavor,” deBoschnek says. “If you’re making anything seafood-based – seafood stews, soups, etc. – it just adds a really nice way, a tribute to the ocean.”
When corn season rolls around and you want to preserve those sweet, buttery flavors, deBoschnek’s Corn Chowder is a great way to use up leftover corn on the cob. Add it to any winter risotto, vegetable soup or bean stew. “It feels like, ‘Ah, well, summer can’t be too far away,'” she adds.
“We really are a family – not just a family, but a whole community – committed to repurposing, repurposing and using our natural resources.”
Parm broth provides extra freshness, which is an obvious choice for any pasta. “Adding some to a stew to thin it out, or even making a brodo with pasta – in the case of a concentrated broth like this – is a great option,” deBoschnek says.
Perhaps the hardest thing to determine is to remember to save your leftovers while cooking. She suggests keeping a zipper lock bag in the fridge – that way you have a dedicated space to toss and can get excited about the upcoming stockpile.
Once the bag is full, inventory day is here. At this point, you don’t need to do much to prepare, and accuracy is irrelevant. At the most basic level, you sauté some spices and herbs, add the pieces, and put them in hot water for an hour or two. deBoschnek says, “You really want to simmer it over moderate heat to coax out the flavors, not just boil and blast and then let everything fall apart.”
She also suggests you wait until the end to salt it and see how it tastes. “For example, if you’ve salted the chicken with a lot of salt, the carcass will add saltiness to the broth,” she says. While patience is key, be careful not to leave stock on the stove all day. You want to make sure the liquid doesn’t drop too much or burn your pan.
You can usually tell when the stock is done by the consistency of the color. For example, shrimp shells will turn bright pink, but you can also watch for any vegetables to break down. deBoschnek likes to keep her stock in deli containers – labeled with the name and date of preparation – and then store them in the refrigerator.
Keep these simple guidelines in mind and you’ll never have to resort to store-bought stock again. “It’s a very good, satisfying way to consume what you have,” deBoschnek says. “I always pat myself on the back afterwards.”
Shrimp soup
Yield: 8 cups
Ingredients.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, reduced by half
2 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 dried bay leaf
3 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
4 cups shrimp shells, about 3 pounds shrimp 1 lemon, halved
5 sprigs of parsley
2 quarts cold water
To use.
- Add olive oil to a large stockpot or Dutch oven and heat over medium heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion, cut side down, without stirring, until charred, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add the garlic, bay leaves, salt and pepper and stir until the garlic is fragrant, about 1 minute.
- Add shrimp shells and cook, stirring occasionally, until shells turn pink, about 3 minutes.
- Add lemon, parsley and water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer until reduced by a quarter, about 30 minutes.
- Place a large fine mesh sieve lined with coarse cotton or two paper towels over a large bowl; strain ingredients and discard solids. Allow ingredients to cool to room temperature before using. Keep stock fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Corn Stock
Yield: 6 cups
INGREDIENTS.
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion, halved
3 cloves garlic, lightly crushed
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon coriander seeds 6 corn cobs, kerned 2 quarts cold water
1 dried bay leaf
1 Parmesan cheese rind
Directions for use.
- Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Once the oil begins to shimmer, add the onion and cook, cut side down, without moving, until charred, about 5 minutes.
- Add garlic, peppercorns and coriander seeds and cook until garlic is golden brown, about 1 minute. Add corn cobs, water, bay leaves and Parmesan rind and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook over moderate heat until slightly reduced, about 1.5 hours. 3.
Place a large fine mesh sieve lined with coarse cotton or two paper towels over a large bowl and strain the ingredients, discarding the solids. Allow ingredients to cool to room temperature before use. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.
Parmesan Broth
Yield: Makes 4 cups
Ingredients.
8 ounces parmesan cheese rind
2 teaspoons coarse salt
1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
2 quarts cold water
Directions.
- Pour the Parmesan rind, salt, pepper and water into a large pot and heat over medium heat. Once water begins to boil, reduce heat and simmer until broth is reduced by half and turns golden brown, stirring often to ensure crust does not stick to bottom, about 1 1/2 hours.
- Place a large fine mesh sieve lined with coarse cotton or two paper towels over a large bowl and strain the ingredients, discarding the solids. Allow ingredients to cool to room temperature before use. Store fresh in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week, or freeze for up to 3 months.