So I decided since I had pretty much most of the day I would make chicken stock. It is always a good thing to have on hand. Usually I rely on stock in a box, which is very good, but I thought it would be even better to have homemade stock on hand for a rainy day. One thing I have been doing is saving chicken carcases. I know it sounds kinda gross and gruesome but every time I bought a rotisserie chicken, after all the chicken had been eaten I popped the carcass in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer. I had saved up three at this point so that seemed like enough. So there really is no recipe for chicken stock. What it comes down to is whatever extra veggies you have on hand and some kind of chicken I used to use a fresh whole chicken but I found that it just didn't have that rich flavor that I was after. So once I had my "light bulb" moment I have never gone back from the carcass. So like I said I had three of them saved up. As far as veggies go I put in a couple carrots, washed but not peeled, an onion quartered, a couple celery stalks from the heart with the leaves, and a head of garlic cut in half. I also added a handful of parsley, a couple fresh bay leaves, and some whole peppercorns. The last little thing I added was a piece parmesan cheese rind. That's another thing I save. There is just no comparison to freshly grated parmesan cheese. Even when you are on a budget. Yes it is a little more cost up front but it lasts for a pretty long time. Then when you are done with the cheese, pop the rind in a plastic bag/container and put it in the freezer. Any time you make soup, stock, tomato sauce, any thing that could use a little extra something, just pop it in and it just melts and imparts and delicious salty/nutty flavor. So, where was I.....
Oh yea, after all the goodies went into the pot, I covered everything with water. Just to give you an idea, I am using a 12 qt stockpot. I let it come up to a boil and then simmer it uncovered for 2:30-3 hours. Every once in awhile you have skim the scum/foam that accumulated on the top.
This is a good thing to make when you are going to be in the kitchen for awhile. It takes no time to throw everything in a pot and it just does it's own thing, requiring very little babysitting. Usually I'll take Sundays to just hang out in the kitchen all day and cook things for the week, this is just something to add to the back of the stove. Fast forward 3 hours......
Just look how rich and delicious that looks! It is a thing of beauty. Notice how much it has reduced. You couldn't even see the second rivet in the first picture, and it reduced way past that. That is one reason you want to simmer your stock/soup uncovered. You want that liquid to reduce and concentrate in flavor. So after it was finished simmering, I strained/discarded all the solids. Now as far as that goes, you can just use a mesh strainer which is what I did and you will be left with a more cloudy stock (I'm fine with that). Or you can line your mesh strainer with cheese cloth to get all the little particles out, then you will be left with a more clear stock. Whichever you choose it will still be delish. Now I have stock for soup, sauces, gravy, making rice, whatever I choose. The best part is I know everything that went into it. Happy cooking! <3
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