Chicken Stock

You can also use this recipe for: Turkey Stock, Duck Stock, Pheasant, etc...
As the weather turns chilly, many of us will be making soups and stews. This is the stock that I use as a base for many of them. Truth be told, I use this stock year round to cook my grains in and add to various recipes. All of the ingredients are approximate. You really cannot do much to mess this up; the flavor is in the bones.

In addition to being far more flavorful than the store bought variety, this will cost you a lot less and contains much less sodium.

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* * * Time Saving Tip * * *

I don't always have time to make stock when I have a carcus or bones lying around. This is when I will throw them into a bag in the freezer and make the stock in a week or so when I plan on being home for an afternoon. ___________________________________________________

INGREDIENTS:
Leftover chicken bones* (with or without meat)
2 Carrots
2 Celery Sticks
1 Onion
5 cloves garlic, in skin
1 bouquet garni (bundle of fresh herbs tied together--not necessary but adds another layer of flavor)
1 tbps olive oil
1 c. white wine**
water to cover; more as neccesary

1 - Toss bones, carrots, celery, onion, garlic and, if using, bouquet garni
ingredients together with olive oil and spread in a roasting pan.

2 - Cook for about an hour, in a 400 degree oven, stirring every 15 minutes.

3 - When the vegetables and bones are brown and carmelized, pull pan out of oven, immediately placing ingredients into a stock pot.

4 - Deglaze the pan: pour wine in and use wooden spoon to scrape up all those little bits of flavor. Pour mixture into pot.

5 - Cover everything in the stockpot with water. Simmer away for several hours, adding water as necessary.

6 - Strain off liquid and discard the bones, veggies, etc. Allow to cool to skim off fat.

7 - Refrigerate for up to one week or freeze in 1-2 cup portions, defrosting as needed for recipes.

* This can be done with bones from beef, pork, veal, turkey, duck, venison, pheasant, etc. For darker meats, I might use red wine instead of white.

**If you do not want to use wine, a cup of water with a 1 -2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar stirred in makes for a nice substitution.

VEGETABLE STOCK:

Increase all of the vegetable ingredients above by at least two. For garlic, I might break up an entire bulb. Roast in the oven the same way as for chicken stock and once in stock pot, add a teaspoon of black peppercorns and 2-3 bay leaves. Strain and store.

SEAFOOD/ FISH STOCK:

I use a completely different method for this and will post this at a later date~

BEEF and GAME STOCKS:

The same can be done with beef, pork, veal, turkey, duck, venison, pheasant, etc, however for darker meats I usually deglaze with red wine. All of these are great for flavoring grains and soups, just remember that some are really pungent (pork stock, particularly) and will be a little to strong for "delicate" applications!

Pictured above is some finished chicken stock. Notice the rich, dark color. Flavorful, low in sodium and less expensive than the stuff from a box or can. Notice a layer of fat on the top, this will skim off easily after the stock has been cooled for about an hour in the refrigerator.