Stocking up! *grin*

I just made stock for the first time! considering I budget cook a lot that's quite weird, no? I'm telling you, if you learn to cook from books and not your mum, there are some basics it takes a while to get around to learning, because no one thinks to put it into the cookbooks! So, I'm gonna treat this entry as a recipe, for all those whose mums were too busy to teach us to cook (no offence mum, you are brill)

*interesting facts*

 - Chicken stock should be cooked for 3-4 hours, but fish stock should be cooked only for 30-45 minutes, cooking any longer spoils the flavour.

 - Mirepoix (Meer-pwah) is the french term for the combintation of onions, carrots and celery which are often used to make stock. Portugal, Spain, Italy and Germany also have a word for this 'holy trinity' in Creole cooking.

 - the flavour of stock comes from the cartilage and connective tissues in the bones. Connective tissue has collagen in it, which gets converted into gelatin that thickens the liquid.

 Chicken Stock

I've taken a bit from here, bit from there to concoct this 'recipe'. I've used some basic principles of stock making, but just take what you can from this basically, apparently it's not rocket science! Remember all the veg you add will be thrown away, so don't add the choicest parts, carrot peel is fine!

INGREDIENTS;

1 chicken carcass leftover from a roast (plus meat, jelly) or more than one carcass if you have a big enough pot! Also raw bones are better to use than cooked ones, I just never seem to have any!

2 onions quartered

2 carrots ore one big one

1 celery stick cut into chunks

A few fresh herb sprigs tied in cotton or a bouquet garni you can make one with 1 bay leaf, 2 sprigs thyme, 3 stalks and leaves of parsley, if you use dried herbs, tie them up in a cloth bundle so they can be removed. I've got the Schwartz tea bags style bouquet garni

2-4 garlic cloves i'm one of those people who thinks you cant over-do garlic.

peppercorns no salt - stock is a base for a food, add the salt when cooking the food

6 pints of cold water

TOOLS;

 - a big pot (or a really big pot if you're doubling up) with a lid

 - a good strong knife and chopping board

 - wooden spoon

 - a colander

 - Tupperware or a freezer bag for storing the finished stock

METHOD;

step 1 - stick the carcass*, any meat, gravy or jelly into your big pot and pour over the cold water. By starting with cold water you promote the extraction of collagen. Bring to simmer, not boil as the stock will go cloudy (not the end of the world!) Now scum will start to form on the surface of the stock, skim it off with a spoon, repeat till all the scum is gone (or the worst of it at least)

*removing any jelly or skin will make a healthier stock.

step 2 - Chop roughly and add the veg, herbs and seasoning. Cover* and simmer for 2-3 hours, bones (rather than meaty bits) need longer, such as 4 hours.

*leave it uncovered if you want a richer stock, but the quantity will be less.

step 3 - Now remove the bouquet garni and pour the stock through a colander into a dish/bag/pot. Throw away all the chunky veg, you should be left with a clear (maybe cloudy) liquid. Leave it to cool. Cover the surface with cling film.

step 4 -Now you can refrigerate, freeze or use straight away to make a delicious stew, soup, broth or sauce. 

* the fat will separate from the stock when chilled, you can remove it then, or remove later, before cooking, or keep it together, it's tasty!