Stock - the cheap way!

For a friend, who asked how I make my stock....

This is the more intentional, precision way I would make stock. However, I usually make it the cheap and more imprecise way.:)

Stock - the cheap way!

All month long, there sits a bag in my freezer, labeled Chicken Stock. In it are an extremely eclectic assortment of things: The fresh thyme I only needed half of, right before it started to shrivel, the last 1/4 bunch of parsley that would have been overkill in that salad, scrubbed carrot tops, broken off celery bottoms, onion ends and those teeny tiny garlic cloves that aren't worth the time to peel. Chicken bones - a roast chicken carcass, skin removed from chicken thighs, or the wings that just didn't get used from a cut-up whole chicken, giblets, too, except the liver. You can save most everything for making stock, but anything beyond those core ingredients can significantly change the flavor expected flavor. If you're cool with that, so am I. :)

When it comes to making stock, first get out your bag and look it over - to make good stock, you want about even amounts of celery and carrots, and about as much onion as the two combined. If you need more of anything chop it up. If you have too much of one thing in your bag, save it for next time. Next step is to get out a stockpot, and get it heated with a few tablespoons of Olive Oil. Lightly saute your veggies and meat portions, along with about a dozen peppercorns (black or szechuan, for a different flavor) until it all becomes fragrant. At this point, add cool water until it reaches about an inch from the top of your pot. Stir this once, but after that, leave it alone. Let this heat until it nearly reaches a simmer. At this point you can add a handful of fresh parsley, and a few bay leaves. Let steam/simmer for 3-4 hours uncovered. If it gets pretty frothy, skim off the top, but it shouldn't get too bad if you are vigilant to keep it from boiling. When done, ladle through fine strainer or cheesecloth into containers to cool. Use in 3 days or freeze.

Adding salt is a matter of personal preference. Some people suggest adding it as a preservative, or to bring out the flavors of the vegetables better. Others warn against it because it's easy to oversalt if you have to reduce your stock or stock-based sauce. I personally don't salt.