aromatics

Is it cold where you are?  Fall is most definitely in effect here – and to be honest, for what I am used to, it’s down right winter.

It’s cold, and so all I want are warm, comforting, homey things, like that roasted chicken.  I also want soup, and lots of it.  And I will likely be eating soup every week until the last snow melts.  I have a feeling that comes from my mom.  She often had soup on the stove, and in fact her french onion soup and clam chowder where so legendary that the neighbor’s would specially request them.

Having my mom’s recipes and techniques definitely help my soups, but the real secret – the fail-safe thing to have on hand – the only way to make soup restaurant quality  - is homemade stock.  Think about it,  it’s the only way to have complete control.  Can you imagine The French Laundry using Swanson’s?

stockcooking

I know, we’ve all used the boxed/canned stock on occasion – its easy, it’s always around and it “works.”  Or does it?  It definitely doesn’t make anything better.

But there is really no need to touch it again.  Homemade stock is so easy and also inexpensive.  I only use leftovers for my stock – I never buy anything.  After I have made (or even bought) a chicken, I toss the bones  in a bag and keep it in the freezer for when I am ready.**  Same goes for the aromatics.  The basics seen here I usually have on hand, but I also have a bag in the freezer of “scraps” that can help deepen the flavor of a basic stock or to make a specific veggie stock.  Things like corn cobs, the woody ends of asparagus, mushroom stems, the green part of leeks, etc. etc. etc.

Strainer

There are many versions and techniques for stock and they all work, the method is far less important than just making it.  That being said – here are my favorite tips, which I picked up from generations of grandmothers and Michael Ruhlman.

  1. This one is the frugal grandmother tip (which I already mentioned) – use leftovers.  Some recipes will call for whole chickens that you boil up – too wasteful for me, seeing as how I have no interest in eating chicken that has been boiled for hours – sorry Ina, this is one of the few times you have failed me.
  2. Use the oven.  I used to not make stock because I didn’t want to be stuck at home – I have always been far to nervous to leave or sleep with the stove on.  But with the oven technique, I have absolutely no problem leaving home with the oven set to a measly 180°F.  Doesn’t bother me one bit.  The real reason Mr. Ruhlman likely suggests the oven technique is to keep a steady temperature, and ensure that the stock never boils (therefore becoming cloudy).  But my reason is far more practical.
  3. Also from Mr. Ruhlman, don’t add the aromatics until the last hour.  Any longer and they break up and start to re-absorb the stock, taking away flavor when it’s strained and just making is a bit more of a mess.

That’s it – if you have read this far, you’ve exerted far more effort than it would take to make stock at home.  Now much better soups, sauces, risottos and the like are easily at your fingertips.

stock

Homemade Chicken Stock

1-2 carcasses left over from roasted chicken
4 quarts water (16 cups if you were about to Google that)
1 onion, quartered (skin is fine)
1-2 carrots, scrubbed and cut into large pieces (you can eyeball this based on the size of your carrots – big one? use less; smaller suckers? double up)
2 stalks celery, cut into large pieces (leaves are fine too)
1 head of garlic, cut in half horizontally
2 stems thyme
8 springs of parsley, with stems (I go Italian here – it is what I use for everything.  Come to think of it, not sure if I have seen curly parsley since 1989 with the doilies and deviled eggs)
10ish peppercorns
1 T. kosher salt

Preheat oven to 180°F.  In a large, heavy-bottomed stock pot, heat water and chicken parts over medium to a until it all comes to a simmer.  It will take a bit longer this way, but if you avoid boiling the stock, it will stay clear and translucent, not getting cloudy.

Once it comes to a simmer, skim the top, and place it in the oven.  Leave it uncovered for 4 hours.  If your oven doesn’t go as low as 180° or it seems too cold, you can bump it up to 200°F.  Although it’s not boiling, the stock should be hot enough that you cannot keep your finger in there for more than a second.

At this point – feel free to do whatever!  Also, need to be gone longer than 4 hours?  That is fine.  If too much water evaporated while cooking, just add more – relax – no rules!

With one hour remaining, add the aromatics (carrot, onion, celery, garlic, thyme, parsley, peppercorns, salt and whatever else you want to add) and place the stock back in the oven (still uncovered).  Since you are going to strain it, no need to make a “bouquet garni” and tie up the herbs – just a waste of time and the string.

After 5 hours, remove the stock from oven and skim the top once more.   Line your a strainer with cheesecloth to ensure that nothing gets through, and then strain the stock.  I use a cup to take out the big pieces first and then pour the stock through the strainer – you’ve gone to the trouble to keep it clear, why muddle it all up now?

If you plan to use the stock right away, skim off the fat.

If you are saving it for later, chill the stock and remove the fat once it has solidified (cover it once cooled).  Stock will keep up to 3 days in the refrigerator and 3 months in the freezer.

Yields 12 cups stock

Another note as to why homemade is the way to go:  what do the canned varieties mean by “low-sodium?”  Look at any recipe for chicken stock and you won’t see much salt listed, especially compared to the massive amount of water.  So the low-sodium can only mean lower than they used to put in it.  It sure isn’t lower than the real deal.

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** If you want to make the stock with in the next day or two, skip the freezer and just keep the bones in the fridge until you are ready.