For the inaugural post in Besotted Gourmet, it seemed fitting to feature a recipe that is both iconic in its own right and also a crucial element of countless other dishes – it is the nucleus, if you will, of most cuisine.
  

I speak of a basic, homemade chicken stock – the base for chicken soup and numerous other dishes, including risotto, polenta, stews, casseroles, sauces, and many more.

 

I can not urge you strongly enough to make the leap from pale, flavorless store-bought stocks to the homemade kind. I have one short-ish story to tell that will hopefully put an end to any hesitations you may have.

 

Many years ago, I was a waitress in an Italian restaurant in a well-to-do suburb of Boston. I had just started cooking on my own and, though my skills were rough, I was already committed to the Slow Food movement and style of cooking. I had just made my first chicken stock and had just stumbled on my first risotto recipe – Parmesan Risotto. It sounded wonderful and the taste was unlike anything I had yet experienced. The parmesan, grated just minutes before adding it to the arborio rice, gave the most sensual, nutty flavor to the grains, which had been plumped and infused with flavor from my chicken stock. All of the flavors bound and melded perfectly. I stuffed myself on risotto for the next 3 days (I do tend to have a bit of an obsessive personality when it comes to food) and vowed that I would never love another (I was young, impulsive, and naïve in the ways of my own kitchen).

 

A couple of days later, at work, the chef presented the staff with a tasting of his specials for the evening, which included an asparagus and shrimp risotto. I leaped across the floor, dodged another server, clothes-lined a busboy, and dove face-first into the plate of risotto; after all, I knew what mine tasted like, and I could only imagine how magnificent a CHEF’S was going to be. I took my first bite, awaiting nirvana, and fell with a hard thud on kitchen floor.

 

It was… ok, but it seemed that the rice was more of a vehicle for transporting the asparagus and shrimp rather than the main-focus of the dish, which risotto is patently intended to be. I never asked, mainly because I didn’t have to, but I doubt very much that the rice had been cooked with a rich stock. In fact, I would venture that it was cooked with water, and the flavor had been added from the cooking elements of the shrimp and asparagus.

 

It wasn’t bad, but it was not transcendent. And that’s what a great chicken stock does for a dish, for so many dishes, is make them really superb, outstanding, and with very little effort.

 

The following is my basic, go-to chicken stock recipe. Nothing is un-tweakable, but I would strongly recommend that you get fresh chicken for your stock. Many recipes say to use bones and carcasses, but I find a meatier stock much richer and more flavorful. And, when you think of the expense, just remember that you’re spending ~$10 over the course of a year on this – not bad economics.

 

Pick a cold, blustery day, start your stock in the morning, and by mid-afternoon, the house (or apartment) will smell like rich chicken soup.

 

Click here for a printable version of the recipe

Chicken Stock

 
Ingredients:

5lbs. Chicken (Pick an inexpensive cut, like legs, or some markets package chicken bones and meat for stew)

2 Carrots, chopped

2 Stalks Celery, chopped

1 Onion, sliced in half and the layers separated

1 Leek, chopped

8 Peppercorns

Bouquet Garni consisting of 4 of the following: Parsley, Thyme, Marjoram, Rosemary, Sage*

3 Quarts Cold Water

1 Cup White Wine

 

Preparation:

Add all of the ingredients, except the wine and water to a large stock pot. Pour the water on top and bring to a boil.

 

 

Skim any scum that forms off the top of the pot, and lower the heat to medium-low. Partially cover and let simmer for 2 hours. (By the time the boiling has settled down to a simmer, you should see gurglings below the surface and the odd bubble pop, but not much more activity.)

 

Add the wine, and let the stock simmer for another 3 hours.

 

Once the simmering is done, remove the pot from the heat, and, with tongs, pick out and dispose of as much of the meat as possible.** Allow the rest of the stock to cool considerably on the counter or stove top for at least an hour.

 

Once the stock has cooled, line a large strainer with cheese cloth, and slowly, carefully, strain the remaining vegetables and detritus from the stock into a large bowl or tupperware. Cover the container and put the stock in the refrigerator until very cool or overnight.

 

Most recipes suggest skimming the fat from the top upon removing the stock from the fridge, but I prefer an extra couple of hours in the freezer – it solidifies the fat, making it possible to peel it off, rather than skimming a watery sludge, and invariably, transferring some of the fat back into the stock. I’m not going to lie and say that this isn’t more than a little bit disgusting, but it has to be done. Better in the trash than on the thighs.

 

Once the stock has been de-fatted, return to the freezer for storage, or ladle yourself a bowlful and warm on the stovetop for a delicious taste of rich, steamy stock.***

 
 *I loathe buying the individual packets of herbs for many reasons, not the least of which is the expense of dropping $3 for each one and only using 1/10^th of the packet. Whole Foods came out with an herb seasoning pack that includes all of the above, save parsley. I had never made chicken stock with rosemary before, but ADORED the hint of flavor that it added, not to mention the ease on the budget of having all of the herbs lumped into one packet.

**I’ve been chided by those more thrifty than I for throwing the meat out, but my only attempt to salvage it left me gagging at the gray, tasteless gunge parading as chicken salad. Essentially, the meat has been voided of all of its flavor (and, likely, all of its nutrients) and you’re just left with tasteless protein, which, in my opinion, isn’t worth saving.

***Most recipes recommend seasoning your stock with salt and pepper, but I prefer to save seasoning it for the actual dish or bowl of soup that I’m serving. Many dishes contain sufficient seasoning on their own, and I prefer to add salt and pepper just before serving soups. I find that you need less, and it tastes fresher that way.