Chicken Stock (5 quarts)



Ingredients:

4-5 lbs chicken parts--backs,<WBR>wings,necks

2 onions,chopped

2 cloves garlic,crushed

1 carrot, washed and trimmed

parsley

2 bay leaves

2 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon white peppercorns



Directions:

Put everything into a large stockpot and add water to the 3/4 point.

Bring to a boil slowly, then reduce heat to a simmer and

cook,covered, for 2 hours. Remove cover and simmer at least another

hour. Strain stock and pour it into different sized containers (for

different uses). Let sit til cool,then freeze,leaving the chicken fat

on top to seal. When you're ready to use,it's easy enough to peel the

fat off the top--and use it for other purposes,if you like.

Making Chicken Stock



A step-by-step tutorial for making a staple in any non-vegetarian

kitchen.



Chicken stock is well used as the base for many soups and sauces, as

well as adding flavor and richness to rice dishes, stews , and pastas.



1. To make basic chicken stock, you will need bones from 2 chickens,

water, 1 medium onion, 1 medium carrot, 2 stalks celery, 15 coarsely

ground black peppercorns, and 1/2 of a bay leaf.



2. Remove as much fat from the chicken bones as possible. Do this by

slicing off the chicken fat with a standard, sharp kitchen knife. You

will not be able to remove every ounce of fat from the bones. Do not

worry, you will skim much of the remaining fat off of the stock

before you are finished.

3. Place the bones in a large stockpot. Pour water into the pot until

the bones are completely immersed. Turn the stove on to a high

temperature, and watch the stock carefully to ensure that it does not

come to a boil at any point. Boiling the water will cause fat to

churn in the pot rather than rise to the top where you can skim it

off. When the stock appears to be about to come to a boil, reduce the

heat to low. The stock should simmer at a very low heat. The goal is

to have only 1 bubble rise to the surface per second, but a low

simmer will suffice.



4. While the water is heating, begin to prepare the vegetables. Keep

in mind that it is in your best interest to keep the vegetables in

moderately large chunks as they will be simmering in the pot for at

least 45 minutes, and small pieces of vegetable will lose their

flavoring quicker. Begin by removing the top and bottom of the onion,

peeling, and cutting it in half. Discard the top, bottom, and skin

pieces. Slice the onion into large chunks.



5. Peel and slice the carrots. The carrots should be sliced into

fairly large chunks.



6. Celery leaves, especially those on the outside of the bunch, are

extremely bitter and will do nothing to improve the taste of your

stock. Remove and discard these leaves from the celery stalks. Then,

slice the celery into pieces.



7. Combine the onions, carrots, and celery in a mixing bowl. Add the

coarsely ground peppercorns and the 1/2 bay leaf to the bowl.



8. Looking at the simmering stock, you will notice that a yellow

layer of fat has risen to the surface.



9. Use a ladle to skim this layer off. Discard the unwanted fat. This

photo shows how the stock should appear after it has been skimmed.



10. The stock will need to simmer 2 hours total. After the stock has

simmered for 1 hour and 15 minutes, add the vegetables to the pot.

Bring the stock back to a simmer. While the stock simmers for the

final 45 minute stretch, constantly skim the fat off the surface as

it becomes visible.

11. Strain the stock through a fine colander or alternate straining

device (a cheesecloth laid inside an ordinary colander will work

fine).



12. The finished stock should be a light tan color, translucent, and

have little or no fat floating on the surface. The stock is now ready

for use. A great way to keep your stock fresh and on hand is to pour

it into ice cube trays and then freeze them. This way, the stock is

broken up into manageable amounts. You can use one or two cubes when

making a sauce , or melt down all of the cubes for a scrumptious soup.

Chicken Stock Recipe

By scearley
Make chicken soup stock to improve all of your own personal recipes. Canned stock is teh work of the devil! NO BOULLION CUBES EVER!

Seafood Gumbo Stock
Makes 2 quarts

Ingredients
 

1 pound shrimp shells
5 quarts water
4 carrots, sliced
4 onions, quartered
1/2 bunch celery, sliced
2 bay leaves
3 cloves garlic, sliced
2 sprigs of fresh parsley
5 whole cloves
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 teaspoons dried thyme

Directions
 

1 Bake shrimp shells at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C)
until dried and starting to brown on edges.
2 In an 8-quart pot, combine water, carrots, onions, celery,
bay leaves, garlic, parsley, cloves, pepper, basil, thyme
and shrimp shells. Bring slowly to a
boil.
3 Reduce heat, and cook 5 to 7 hours. Replace water as needed,
2 or 3 times, by pouring more water down the inside of the pot.
4 Remove stock from heat, and strain. Press all liquid from
the shells and vegetables, then discard them. Return liquid to
heat, and reduce to 2 to 3 quarts, or to taste.

Homemade Chicken Stock

Source: Martha Stewart Living Cookbook



If you plan to use the stock for a specific recipe, begin making it at least 12 hours ahead of time, and refrigerate for 8 hours, so the fat has a chance to collect on to and can be removed.



Homemade Chicken Stock

2 leeks, white and pale green parts, cut into thirds, well washed.

1 tsp whole black peppercorns

6 sprigs fresh dill or 2 tsp dried

6 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley

2 dried bay leaves

2 carrots, cut into thirds

2 celery stalks cut into thirds

1 4lb chicken cut into pieces

11/2 lbs. chicken wings

1 1/2 lbs chicken backs

2 48oz. (3 qts) low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat



Place the leeks, peppercorns, dill, parsley, bay leaves, carrots, celery, whole chicken, wings and backs in a large stockpot. Add the chicken stock and 6 cups of cold water cover and bring to a boil. Reduce to a very gentle simmer, and cook uncovered about 45 minutes. The liquid should just bubble up to the surface. A skin will form on the surface; skim it off with a slotted spoon, and discard, repeating as needed. After about 45 minutes remove the whole chicken from the pot, and set it aside until it is cool enough to handle.

Remove teh meat from the chicken bones, set the meat aside, and return the bones to the pot. Transfer the chicken meat to the refrigerator for another use; if you plan to use it for chicken noodle soup, shred the meat before refrigerating it.

continue to simmer the stock on the lowest temperature possible, for 3 hours, skimming foam from the top as needed.

The chicken bones will begin to disintegrate. Add water if at any time the water level drops below the bones.

Prepare an ice water bath. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, or a cheesecloth lined strainer, into a large bowl. Discard the solids. Transfer the bowl to the ice water bath, let cool to room temperature.

Transfer the stock to airtight containers. Stock may be labled at this point and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 4 months, if storing, leave the fat layer intact, it seals the stock.

Variation:

Asian Flavored Chicken stock

To make a stock that is excellent for Asian noodles soups, add one or more of the following ingredients to your stock while it is simmering:

2 stalks fresh lemongrass

8 oz shiitake mushrooms

4 oz thinly siced fresh ginger

10 fresh cilantro stems

10 wholeSzechuan peppercorns

10 whole coriander seeds

3 star anise.

Or substitute 3 cups of sake for the water.

 

Makes 5 quarts.

Homemade Vegetable Stock

Source: Martha Stewart Cookbook



Vegetable Stock

1 tbl unsalted butter

1 tbl olive oil

1 large onion, coursely chopped

2 large carrots, coarsly chopped

1 celery stalk, coursely chopped

2 parsnips, coursely chopped

1 bunch (about 1 1/2 lbs) red or green swiss chard, cut into 1 inch cubes

Several sprigs fresh thyme

Several sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley

1 dried bay leaf



In a medium stockpot, melt the butter and oil, stirring occiasionally, over medium-low heat. Add the onions; cook until carmelized, 15 to 25 minutes. Add the carrots, parsnips, and celery, and cook until tender, about 20 minutes.

Add Swiss chard to vegetables mixture. Add 3 1/2 quarts cold water, the thyme, parsley and bay leaf. cover and bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer, uncovered, about 1 hour.

Remove from the heat, and strain the stock through a fine sieve or a cheesecloth lined strainer, pressing on the vegetables to extract the juices.

Discard the vegetables. The stock can be refrigerated for 3 to 4 days or frozen for up to 3 months

Makes 3 quarts

Veal Stock

Source: Martha Stewart Cookbook



Veal Stock

This stock an be used at regular strength or reduced to a gel like demi glace.

4 sprigs fresh rosemary

8 sprigs fresh flat leaf parsley

6 sprigs fresh thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1 tbl whole black peppercorns

1 lb. veal stew meat, cubed

2 lbs veal bones, such as neck bones, shanks, and knuckles, sawed or broken into 1 inch pieces

1 lb. oxtail, optional

1 pigs foot, optional

2 large spanish onions, unpeeled and quartered

3 large carrots, cut in half

3 celery stalks cut in half

8 ounces mixed mushrooms, wiped clean, stems attached

1 head of garlic, cut in half widthwise

1 6 oz can tomato paste

1 28 oz can plum tomatoes, drained and quartered

2 cups dry red wine, such as burgundy



Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Tie rosemary, parsley thyme, bay leaves and peppercorns in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni, set aside.

Arrange the meat and veal bones (and oxtail or pig foot, if using) in a single layer in a large heavy roasting pan, and place in the oven. Roast, turning several times, until they turn deep brown, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from oven, and palce onions, carrots, celery, mushrooms, garlic, tomato paste, and chopped tomatotoes on top of the bones. Reduce heat to 375 degrees, return pan to oven and roast until vegetables are brown about 45 minutes.

Transfer bones, meat, and vegetables to a 6 gallon stockpot; set aside. Discard the fat from the roasting pan; set the pan on the stove over hight heat. Add wine and stir, using a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits from botom of pan; boil until wine is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Add to stockpot.

Add 8 quarts cold water to stockpot, just covering bones; cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer; skim foam that rises to surface. Add bouquet garni. Cook 8 to 10 hours; skim frequently.

Prepare an ice bath. Strain stock through a fine sieve into a large bowl, and set in the ice water bath. When cool, cover and refrigerate overnight.

Discard the layer of fat on stock.

You should have about 5 quarts of stock. The stock can be refrigerated for up to 3 days, or frozen for up to 4 months

Makes about 5 quarts

For Demi-glace

After last step for stock, transfer stock to a smaller pot, bring to a boil and reduce heat to medium high.

Cook at a gentle boil, skimming frequently, reduce liquid to about 1 quart, about 2 hours and 45 minutes. It will be dark and viscous. Pour into an 8 inch square pan, cover and refrigerate overnight. Cut firmed demi glace with a knife into 1 to 2 inch squares. Wrap each in plastic wrap, and place in resealable bag. Store in the freezer for up to 4 months.

Makes about 1 quart of demi-glace

Homemade Court Bouillon

Source: Martha Stewart Cookbook



Court bouillon, the vegetable and herb broth traditionally used for poaching fish, imparts substle flavor to the fish as it cooks. The bouillon can be made 2 to 3 days ahead if preparing the fish the same day, make the bouillon right in the poacher.

Court Bouillon

1 bunch fresh thyme

1 bunch fresh flat leaf parsley

1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

1/2 tsp whole fennel seed

1 750 ml bottle dry white wine

1 leek, white and pale green parts, sliced ito 1/4 inch rounds well washed.

2 medium carrots, sliced into 1/2 inch rounds

1 lemon, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds

3 diced bay leaves

2 tbl kosher salt



Fit a 10 qt poacher with a rack in the bottom and place the poacher over two burners on top of the stove (or use a large stockpot) Fill with 7 quarts water (about three quarters full)

Tie thyme, parsley, peppercorns, and fennel seeds together in a small piece of cheesecloth to make a bouquet garni, and place in poacher; add wine, leek, carrots, lemon, bay leaves, and salt. Cover, and bring to a simmer. Uncover; gently simmer for 30 minutes. Discard bouquet garni. Let bouillon cool to room temperature, about 1 hour. The bouillon can be refrigerated for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 3 months.

Makes 6 quarts