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Chicken Stock
Homemade stock not only has superior taste.
It has body from the gelatin in the bones. No amount of reducing of canned
broth will give you that. If you don't want to make your own, try talking
a local restaurant into selling you stock, or your butcher may sell homemade
stock.
Ingredients:
5 pounds chicken bones
10 cups water
1 large onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 celery stalks, cut into 1-inch chunks
1 bay leaf
10 peppercorns
1 small bunch parsley stems
Directions:
Rinse the bones twice in cold water to remove the blood, then boil the bones
in water to cover for 30 minutes. During this time, skim carefully; then
add the rest of the ingredients. Continue to simmer very slowly, uncovered,
for 4 hours. Cool, strain, then refrigerate overnight, and scrape off the
fat. If I want a concentrated stock, I boil the stock until it is half its
volume. Refrigerate or freeze until needed.
Variation for Brown Chicken Stock: In the winter, you might want richer
flavors. Brown chicken stock is one way to achieve that. Preheat the oven
to 450º F. Place the rinsed bones in a roasting pan and roast, stirring
occasionally, until brown all over. Transfer to the stockpot and simmer as
above for the first 30 minutes. Meanwhile, put the vegetables in the same
roasting pan and roast until brown all over, then add to the soup pot. Put
the hot roasting pan over medium heat and add ½ cup dry white wine or
water. Stir and scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom and sides
of the pan and pour into the stock. Proceed as above.
Variation for home-style stock: Because I am a chef, I have to write
a recipe that gives the correct — from my viewpoint — method. Rinsing
the bones and then skimming during the first 30 minutes yields dividends
in clarity and refinement of flavor. You can dispense with the rinsing and
skimming, however. Just put all the ingredients in a pot, bring to a boil,
and follow the recipe from there.
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