Technique
A villa stock
2026-10-12 · Adrian Stefan, Table d'Adrian
Villa
A stock
In a house for a week I start a stock on the first evening if there are bones. Chicken carcasses, a fish head if the monger will give it to you clean, vegetable trimmings that are still fresh. Cover with cold water. Bring it up slowly. Skim.
It does not need to be a brown restaurant stock. A pale, clear pot is enough to give a risotto, a soup or a sauce something better than water. Salt it lightly. You can always add more when it goes into a dish.
Cool it, and keep it cold. A villa kitchen in July is not a place to leave a warm pot on the counter overnight. If there is no room in the fridge, make less, and make it the day you will use it.