15 Nov Make Stock

It sure seems like fall winter has come on strong. Both Adam and I have complained that it seems like we didn’t even have a fall at all. It was 86 degrees for so long… then it was 45.

I, for one, could have gone for a few more of those cool mornings but warm by afternoon, windows open all through the house, 68-72 degree days.

But, here we are. And, it’s very grey. Chilly. Wet. And, dreary.

Not my favorite kind of weather but, I recently read that a great way to not just survive the colder and darker winter months, but to thrive is to prepare yourself and your space to hunker down for them and just be cozy.

Make a space in your home, maybe by your fireplace, with books and blankets. And, as far as menu planning goes, nothing really gets more cozy than soup. There is the whole process of making it, low and slow, over a couple hours. And, eating it as it warms you from the inside out… it really doesn’t get any more cozy than that.

A great way to prepare for lots of soup is to have plenty of chicken stock on hand.

Stock is one of the easiest things to make that has such an impact on the flavor and nutritional value of your soup or whatever other dish you choose to use it in. Not to mention, as it cooks, it will make your house smell amazing adding to the warm and cozy vibes.

There really isn’t even an exact recipe because you can use whatever you have and quantities don’t really matter.

But, what you do need is a chicken frame.

So when you make a whole chicken don’t throw away the bones. At Bent Arrow, we have gone a step further and asked our processor, This Old Farm, to save the frames from the chickens we have cut down into breasts, leg quarters and wings so they can be available for our customers. It seems like such a waste to not save the frames when they make great stock. You can get Bent Arrow chicken frames or whole chickens at the farm or on Market Wagon Indianapolis.

And, here is how we make chicken stock:

Ingredients-
Bones and carcass from one chicken
onions, quartered
3-4 stalks of celery, roughly chopped
1-2 carrots, roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
Whole garlic cloves
Other Optional Extras – herbs like thyme or parsley, lemons, fennel fronds, leek tops, whole pepper corns

Equipment
Pot big enough to hold the chicken and vegetables, typically 4-6 quarts
Strainer

1. Put bones in the pot and cover them with about an inch of water. Simmer on very low heat for 2-6 hours. Add more water if the bones start to become exposed.
2. Prepare all of your veggies. Remember, there really is no recipe, so use what you have.
3. Skim off any foam or film that has floated to the top of the stock. This helps it look and taste more clean.
4. Add the vegetables and herbs. Add more water if needed to cover the ingredients. Simmer for another hour or two at the same heat.
5. Strain the stock to separate out the solid pieces. Discard the solids.
6. Let the stock cool, then separate into portion-sized containers.

The stock can be refrigerated for up to a week or frozen indefinitely.

Stock can also be made with the same method in a slow cooker at the lowest setting. How easy!

And remember, there really are no rules or true recipe so use what you have on hand. It will beat anything you can get at a store every time.