Prosciutto-Parmesan Stock

By Mark Bittman

Prosciutto-Parmesan Stock
Sam Kaplan for The New York Times. Food stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop stylist: Maeve Sheridan.
Total Time
15 minutes
Rating
4(106)
Notes
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Here’s the problem with homemade stock: It’s so good that it doesn’t last long. What’s needed is something you can produce more or less on the spot.

Although water is a suitable proxy in small quantities, when it comes to making the bubbling, chest-warming soups that we rely on in winter, water needs some help. Fortunately, there are almost certainly flavorful ingredients sitting in your fridge or pantry that can transform water into a good stock in a matter of minutes.

This recipe is meant to be fast, so by ‘‘simmer,’’ I mean as little as five minutes and no more than 15. You can season these stocks at the end with salt and pepper to taste, or wait until you’re ready to turn them into full-fledged soups.

Featured in: Simple Stocks for Soup on the Fly

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Ingredients

Yield:About 6 cups of stock
  • 4ounces sliced prosciutto (or some prosciutto rinds or ends)
  • 3pieces Parmesan rind
  • 2crushed garlic cloves
  • A rosemary sprig
Ingredient Substitution Guide

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine some prosciutto rinds or ends (or 4 ounces sliced prosciutto), a few pieces of Parmesan rind, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a rosemary sprig and 6 cups water.

  2. Step 2

    Bring to a boil, simmer, then strain.

Ratings

4 out of 5
106 user ratings
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Cooking Notes

Fredericktibbetts@gmail.com

When I tried this, there was no need to add any salt. Rosemary is great, but also think about using thyme. I happened to have one shallot left over, and put it in. And so on. Stocks are improvisations, but it's heartening to remember that you can make a very serviceable one at almost the last minute.

Sara

I chopped up a piece of salami and substituted it for the prosciutto and garlic, along with the Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig as well as a little tomato paste and hot pepper flakes. It made a very good broth that I turned into a quick pasta e fagioli by adding canned cannellini beans and leftover pasta.

Joseph Dzugashvili

I think they mean the 1x2" little arc you get at the end of a wedge of Parmesan. I used that much and the stock was amazing but the Parmesan taste was very strong - some might find it overwhelming. You could certainly get away with less.

Duspin

I simmered it for about 25 mins. I used about 2 inches of a PDP handle (top end), cut into slices including meat, fat & rind. 4 Parm Reg rinds and the garlic & rosemary as directed. I covered with about 3 L of water and the result is nothing less than stupendous. Using this as a base for minestrone.

mimi

I made 4 cups of stock adding some calabrese pepper flakes, mustard greens and gnocchi. The results were outstanding. (I have a 1 kilo bag of parm rinds in my freezer which should keep me busy creating stock). Thank you for sharing your recipe.

Chodo

This stock is also great with dried serrano ham. This no-recipe recipe should be wildly popular!

Sara

I chopped up a piece of salami and substituted it for the prosciutto and garlic, along with the Parmesan rind and rosemary sprig as well as a little tomato paste and hot pepper flakes. It made a very good broth that I turned into a quick pasta e fagioli by adding canned cannellini beans and leftover pasta.

Anne

Approximately how much is "3 pieces" of Parmesan rind?

Joseph Dzugashvili

I think they mean the 1x2" little arc you get at the end of a wedge of Parmesan. I used that much and the stock was amazing but the Parmesan taste was very strong - some might find it overwhelming. You could certainly get away with less.

Fredericktibbetts@gmail.com

When I tried this, there was no need to add any salt. Rosemary is great, but also think about using thyme. I happened to have one shallot left over, and put it in. And so on. Stocks are improvisations, but it's heartening to remember that you can make a very serviceable one at almost the last minute.

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