Tastes Like Chicken: Make your Own Stock

I spent today making chicken stock. It took 8 hours, but yielded 11 cups of stock, which I will freeze mostly in 8oz portions. Here is how I do it:

When whole chickens are on sale (I've found them for $.79/lb, but this time it wasn't that good.), I buy 3. On the day I buy them, I cut them up to save the meat. I can cut up a whole chicken pretty quickly, but it is an art (or sorts) and the first time takes a while.

Some tips about chicken day - it helps to make sure that everything is ready to go before I pick up my boning knife so I don't have to wash my hands thirty times to keep from getting chicken goo on everything. I like to have my hair pulled back and I always have a pot of water to put anything I'm not keeping (i.e. skin and organs) into so I can quickly boil it before throwing it away. If I don't boil it, it gets awfully rank in the garage before trash day!

I cut off the wings and freeze them whole - removing the wingtips for the stockpot.
yield = 12 wing pieces about half of what we'd like if we were making hot wings.

Then I remove the wishbone (stick it in the stockpot) and skin the breast. I slice the breast carefully off of the ribcage and line a cookie sheet with wax paper or parchment. I place each breast half on the cookie sheet making sure none touch. Then I freeze them overnight. The next day, I toss them all in a zip top bag and can use them as needed without having to chip the apart.
yield = 6 boneless skinless chicken breast - with the tenderloin attached - you could remove the tenderloin and have a ziptop bag of them too for making chicken fingers

Next I dislocate the thighs and cut them away from the body. Sometimes I remove the skin while I'm at it. I package them 2 quarters together and freeze them wrapped in plastic wrap and a top layer of freezer paper.
yield = 3 packs of dark chicken quarters (2 legs, 2 thighs)

P.S. Here are 3 recipes that you can make using a pack of quarters and make enough to feed 3-4 people

Alphabet Chicken Soup
Chicken Curry Pot Pie
Alfredo Chicken Lasagna

With all of these, you'll need to roast or boil the chicken, then remove the meat and chop it up.

Now with all the desirable parts removed, I break the carcass into 3 or so pieces and store them in my biggest pot. Then I stick the pot in the fridge and get started making stock the next day.

I cover the pieces in water and bring it to a rolling boil. The water will foam with a icky grey mass of bubbles, which needs to be scooped off and discarded. Once it's gone, I lower the heat to a low simmer, add a quartered onion, 2 carrots (broken up, nothing fancy, I don't even wash them), 3 celery stalks (same treatment as the carrots), and some whole black peppercorns (2 tbsp or so, I just dump some in my hand). I let it simmer for EIGHT hours - just checking on it throughout the day and adding water when too much evaporates. The amount of water isn't important, what's important is that the bones are totally underwater.

After 8 hours, I let it cool down some before I strain it into a big container and cool it overnight in the fridge so that the fat will all rise to the top and solidify. The next day I peel off the fat and portion the stock (it's jello like now, unless I didn't do it right) into old yogurt and sour cream containers. Then I freeze it and use as needed.

Obviously bouillon is cheap, but I was throwing all these bones away before! Now I get something out of them first and have total control over how much salt goes into my recipes. I do think it tastes better than using cubes.

February 17 - March 3, 2009

17 T - Fried Rice with Shrimp & Ham (LFRR 345), Egg Rolls
18 W - 40 Cloves and A Chicken, Meredith’s Brussels Sprouts, Carrots
19 R - Slow Cooker Chili, Corn Muffins, Carrots
20 F – Chili Dogs, French Fries
21 S – Kung Pao Chicken (MFR 48), Jasmine Rice, 5 Spice Peas and Carrots
22 U – Lasagna(PIE 38), Salad, Garlic Bread
23 M – Chicken Curry in a Hurry, Rice
24 T – Old Cutler Missions Dinner
25 W – Beef and Barley Stew (BC 473)
26 R – L.O. Beef Stew
27 F – Mediterranean Chicken, Salad, Crescent Rolls
28 S – Old Cutler Missions Dinner
1 U – Pork Chops, Fried Apples n Onions, Mac & Cheese
2 M – Meatloaf, Green Beans, Biscuits
3 T – Clewiston Dessert Night

I should have posted something celebratory last week! It was my 50th meal plan post - and since my meal plans are usually 2 weeks of meals, that's 100 weeks of meals! So if you know some one who doesn't know what to cook for dinner, point them this way :)

Good For You: Ratatouille

While browsing through an old family recipe compilation cookbook, I stumbled upon Ratatouille. I don't get excited about eggplant, but it is not a very noticable flavor in this stew. I think the eggplant gives it meatiness, but the flavor is more of a veggie filled tomatoey stew. It's good and even better paired with a big loaf of Cuban bread.

Ratatouille
(from Looney Family Reunion Recipes, attributed to Peggy Collier)

1/4 cup olive or canola oil
4 cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tsp salt, divided
1 small eggplant, cubed
3 tbsp. red wine
1/2 cup tomato juice
1 tsp basil
1 tsp marjorm
1/2 tsp oregano
2 medium bell peppers, chopped or in strips
1 medium zucchini or summer squash, cubed
black pepper to taste
2 medium tomatoes cut into chunks (or 1 can diced tomatoes)
2 tbsp tomato paste
fresh parsley for garnish

Heat oil in large heavy pot. Crush garlic into oil, add bay leaf and onion. Salt lightly. Saute over medium until onion becomes transparent. Add eggplant, wine, tomato juice, and herbs. Stir well and simmer 10-15 minutes over low heat.

When eggplant is tender, add zucchini and peppers, cover and simmer 10 more minutes.

Add remaining salt, pepper, tomatoes and tomato paste, mix well, and continue to stew until veggies reach desired tenderness. Just before serving remove bay leaf and garnish with parsley, I had some grated swiss & gruyere that we added on top and it was great. You might also add chopped black olives.

February 3 – 16, 2009

3 T – Thai Shrimp, Jasmine Rice, 5 Spice Peas and Carrots
4 W – Cornmeal Oven-Fried Chicken, Mashed Potatoes, Corn
5 R – Steak Burritos (SCR 54), Refried Beans
6 F – Roast Chicken, Stuffing, Green Beans, Carrot Sticks
7 S – Miss Stoker’s Lasagna (PIE 38), Salad
8 U – L.O. Lasagna
9 M - Fried Rice with Shrimp (LFRR 345), Salad
10 T – out
11 W – Alphabet Soup, Cuban Bread
12 R – Stuffed Chicken Rolls (SCR 72)
13 F - Meatloaf, Baked Potatoes
14 S – Homemade Pizza, Salad
15 U – Tomato Soup, Grilled Cheese Sandwiches
16 M – Spicy Meat Pie (LFRR 277), Salad