Dem bones

I spent the last couple days making beef demi-glace. I'm actually pretty pleased with myself. The picture below is a bunch of beef bones (got them at Super Saver, Günter). Lest you think I'm a ghoul, the red stuff on them is tomato paste. Anyway, I roasted these for a while, turning them frequently.

Then, I roasted some carrots, celery, and onion for a while. Then I put it all together, with a bottle of red wine, some rosemary, and some thyme. Simmered it for 8 hours, and strained it several times through cheesecloth.

Then simmered it about 4 more hours, straining it several times.

Then simmered it a couple more hours, after more straining.

After all that, I ended up with about 2 quarts of this intense jelly-like substance. A couple of tablespoons of it will be about the equivalent of a boullion cube, without the MSG and other chemicals.

I did this with chicken last week, so now I have a wonderful and delicious stash, which, with any luck, will result in some wonderful and delicious dishes (almost every recipe in my new Anthony Bourdain cookbook calls for it).