Stock Party

homemade chicken stock. in an effort to use all culinary scraps, i keep in the freezer all those chicken backbones, shiitake stems and parmesan cheese rinds (use parm rinds in italian style tomato sauces & soups). i had collected 4 backbones and was just about to have another one when i decided to make some homemade chicken stock. this is a time to use up all veg and herbs that are departing the edible world. use your largest pasta/stock pot. start with 6-8 quarts of water on high heat. throw in any combination of rotisserie chicken carcass, wing tips, chicken necks or chicken backbones you have on hand. (never will i use fresh whole chickens for stock, only to throw the whole chickens away when stock is made. never. too wasteful.) add the vegetables that you have. any combination of leeks, onions, parsnips, celery, carrots, garlic, mushrooms stems. wash your veg, no sand or dirt is invited to the stock party. do not peel parsnips, carrots, onions (i said don’t peel it, damn, just cut off the hairy end.) cut into large chunks & throw in pot. cut leeks, if you are using them, celery plus top leaves, 1-2 head(s) garlic, with peel intact, cut in half crosswise, toss in pot. if you kept ‘em, add shiitake mushroom stems. add 2 tablespoons salt and 2 teaspoons whole peppercorns. use fresh herbs or those aging dried ones you need to use up anyway, dried herbs, do not last forevah, sorry, i know you’re mom kept them forever, but, fortunately, you now know better. clean out the spice rack. use bay leaf, dill, parsley & thyme. bring to a boil then simmer for 4, count ‘em four hours. yes, do this on a sunday, it’s a tasty excuse to do nothing else.

let cool. strain. refrigerate. remove fat. use or freeze. you’re welcome.