Homemade Stock: The Gift That Keeps on Giving
It's Thanksgiving week, and I'm losing it a little.
You see, I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year. At my boyfriends' house, which will be my house too in ten short days (eeek!). My dear friend and co-host of Cook Yourself Thin, Harry Eastwood is traveling over from Paris to spend the holiday here, her first American Thanksgiving. A lot of firsts, a lot of joy -- and I want to feed it.
So no pressure, but I can't have Harry over and use some boxed stock or store bought pie crust. I mean I can, but...it would be like refilling the Blanton's bottle with Rebel Yell.
And so, yesterday was for stock-making. I've never made it in New Jersey, so I had the distinct pleasure of introducing myself to the butcher at the local grocery store and scoring some chicken backs, necks and wings, as none were on display. The butcher gave me a wink and requested that I return as soon as possible, which bodes well for meat futures.
When The Kid came home with a friend after school, the stock had been simmering for hours. They both commented on how good it smelled, which was nice to hear because let's face it: I wasn't making cookies. Then they spun in circles until they were nauseous, and came to the kitchen for a cure. I doled out small glasses of "miraculous" chicken stock. The Kid drank it and was healed.
I started to wonder what else I could do with this stock. I looked at those meaty little wings and thought: A little BBQ sauce, a broiler, and we've got dinner.
It worked.
After dinner, I strained that stock and kept the extra meat for the dog. No! I was told...don't give that to the dog...it could be lunch. As part of a burrito.
When I worked in restaurants, there were stories of chefs so cheap they fed their staff stock leftovers, or worse yet -- the raft after clarifying a stock. But somehow, in this new place I'm cooking, the diners are fighting the dog for the leftovers.
And, I've got a golden stock the texture of jello in the fridge.
Is it worth making homemade stock? Heck yeah. In addition to the stock, I've got a butcher winking at me, a cure for nausea, and dinner halfway done. As my friend Tamar Haspel would say, that's kitchen momentum.
STOCK-O
Makes one quart
I'm calling this stock-o, because this stock has the texture of jell-o. A thick rich gelatinous stock will make a terrific gravy. Or nausea-curing soup. Leave out the chicken, and you've got vegetable stock.
2 pounds chicken wings, separated at both joints (ask your butcher to do this; it's key for a gelatinous stock)
2 carrots, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 huge onion, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (keep the skin on)
5 sprigs parsley
5 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
Place all ingredients in a pot, cover with 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until it tastes vibrant. Let cool, remove large pieces of meat and vegetable with a slotted spoon; strain remaining stock. Let cool, remove fat, refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
You see, I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year. At my boyfriends' house, which will be my house too in ten short days (eeek!). My dear friend and co-host of Cook Yourself Thin, Harry Eastwood is traveling over from Paris to spend the holiday here, her first American Thanksgiving. A lot of firsts, a lot of joy -- and I want to feed it.
So no pressure, but I can't have Harry over and use some boxed stock or store bought pie crust. I mean I can, but...it would be like refilling the Blanton's bottle with Rebel Yell.
And so, yesterday was for stock-making. I've never made it in New Jersey, so I had the distinct pleasure of introducing myself to the butcher at the local grocery store and scoring some chicken backs, necks and wings, as none were on display. The butcher gave me a wink and requested that I return as soon as possible, which bodes well for meat futures.
When The Kid came home with a friend after school, the stock had been simmering for hours. They both commented on how good it smelled, which was nice to hear because let's face it: I wasn't making cookies. Then they spun in circles until they were nauseous, and came to the kitchen for a cure. I doled out small glasses of "miraculous" chicken stock. The Kid drank it and was healed.
I started to wonder what else I could do with this stock. I looked at those meaty little wings and thought: A little BBQ sauce, a broiler, and we've got dinner.
It worked.
After dinner, I strained that stock and kept the extra meat for the dog. No! I was told...don't give that to the dog...it could be lunch. As part of a burrito.
When I worked in restaurants, there were stories of chefs so cheap they fed their staff stock leftovers, or worse yet -- the raft after clarifying a stock. But somehow, in this new place I'm cooking, the diners are fighting the dog for the leftovers.
And, I've got a golden stock the texture of jello in the fridge.
Is it worth making homemade stock? Heck yeah. In addition to the stock, I've got a butcher winking at me, a cure for nausea, and dinner halfway done. As my friend Tamar Haspel would say, that's kitchen momentum.
STOCK-O
Makes one quart
I'm calling this stock-o, because this stock has the texture of jell-o. A thick rich gelatinous stock will make a terrific gravy. Or nausea-curing soup. Leave out the chicken, and you've got vegetable stock.
2 pounds chicken wings, separated at both joints (ask your butcher to do this; it's key for a gelatinous stock)
2 carrots, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
2 celery stalks, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces
1 huge onion, roughly chopped into 1-inch pieces (keep the skin on)
5 sprigs parsley
5 sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
Place all ingredients in a pot, cover with 2 quarts of water and bring to a simmer. Simmer, uncovered, for 3 1/2 to 4 hours, until it tastes vibrant. Let cool, remove large pieces of meat and vegetable with a slotted spoon; strain remaining stock. Let cool, remove fat, refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
posted by Allison Fishman Task at 11:32 AM
2 Comments:
I'm nobody's kitchen purist, but you gotta make your own stock.
I never throw away a bone, and since I eat a wide variety of animals, I've stopped labelling my stock "chicken" or "lamb." I just throw in any bones I have, and simmer it for hours. I don't even bother with vegetables any more. Bones, scraps, and water are all you need -- everything else is gravy.
Speaking of gravy ...
This is all soooo confusing but exciting.. Homemade Stock ....Stock Futures...Stock Piles...Penny Stocks....and maybe even Stockard Channing...Where Wall Street meets Main Street in the Kitchen...with a Wooden Spoon.
Wonka
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