Substitution for Veal Stock-HELP

[mpeirson]

I have a recipe for Chicken Scaloppini that requires a reduction of veal stock with Marsala wine. I do not have veal stock, and would like to know if there is a close substitution stock I could use. I will be cooking for 10 people tomorrow. Any help would be appreciated!! Thank you so much in advance, Mpeirson

[Breton Beats]

The reduced veal stock may be contributing either flavor or function. In either case, you can buy reduced veal stock, if you have a fine foods store, or nicer grocery store around look for glace de viande.

However I have made Chx Marsala many times and it has never called for reduced veal stock. You might try looking at other recipes as well.

[kuan]

You can try brown chicken stock. You'll have to make that yourself.

Otherwise go to the canned and aseptic packaged broths and look for roasted vegetable stock. Mix that in with chicken stock and mushrooms.

Yeah, that'd be pretty good.

[mpeirson]

Kuan, I have good chicken and beef stocks available to me. Can I add something to either one of them to make a substitution? Like tomato paste??

[kuan]

Originally Posted by mpeirson

Kuan, I have good chicken and beef stocks available to me. Can I add something to either one of them to make a substitution? Like tomato paste??

First taste your stocks. If it has good body then I would just go with those.

I supppose you can add tomato paste, but I've never tried it. Put some tomato paste in a pan and cook it up a bit. It will not brown like it does in the oven. Add that to the stock. I don't know how it will turn out. May be that the solids just separate out.

Anyone?

[mpeirson]

Thank you so much for all your help. With your reply I feel confident that it will turn out ok with the stock I already have. Thank you again for your replies. Have a good weekend!! Mpeirson

[boar_d_laze]

2 parts beef stock to 1 part chicken stock = Fast and dirty approximation of veal stock, no. 1.

1 part beef stock to 1 part roasted chicken stock = Fast and dirty approximation of veal stock, no. 2.

1 part beef stock to 1 part chicken stock = Fast and dirty approximation of pork stock.

That having been said, I'm with whoever said they've never seen a chicken marasala recipe calling for veal stock. I think it would completely overwhelm the chicken -- especially breast.

If you find chicken stock leaves too light a color (it does), you can get a little color and structure by using what's called a pincage. If you've never done this, you should. It's an important technique.

If you make marsala like most people, you'll brown your chicken first, nearly cooking it through, then remove and reserve it. Add your shallots (if you use them) and mushrooms to the oil and fond, and put a little color on them. That accomplished, add a little bit of tomato paste to the hot pan -- no more than a tsp. Let the paste form a light fond of its own on the pan, a matter of a couple of minutes at most. Then start moving it around until the paste has darkened, nearly turning brown -- two or three more minutes. That's the pincage.

To continue, sprinkle a bit of flour, say a tsp, on to the pincage and keep moving the contents of the pan around until the flour no longer smells raw. Then you can add your marsala, stock and herbs. When the sauce comes together, return the chicken to the pan and let it reheat.

TIP: A better alternative to adding flour to the pincage is dusting the chicken with flour before browning. That will leave enough flour in the fond to structure the sauce, along with the tomato paste. FWIW, that's my preferred method.

One other thing -- if you're making this for yourself, and not for money -- try using boned out thighs rather than breasts. More flavor, and they hold up better without drying out as quickly. In fact, as a general matter, thighs are better in veal presentatoins than breasts.

BDL

[mpeirson]

Boar D Laze, thank you for your suggestion. I think I will use the chicken stock I already have and the tomato paste. That sounds wonderful. I have never made this dish on my own. I am cooking for friends that are moving to Oregon tomorrow, so I wanted to send them off with a great meal. Everyone is so wonderul on this site. You responded so quickly to my thread. Thank you again for your help. I learned a lot. Mpeirson