Quote:
Originally Posted by Yamha
Thank you!  Ok, then I know what it is. We usually just use the cubes, but perhaps I could try to make it from scratch. |
It's not too difficult. A chicken stock is really easy to make. ^^ Here's how I do it:
(Basic ingredients)
* chicken bones. Left over from pre-roasted bird are best but really any will do. Bones need not be 'clean', in fact best if there's still a bit of meat on them. Place in large pan.
* Add enough water to cover.
Add:
* large pinch salt
* large pinch black pepper (or several whole pepper corns)
* Small onion peeled and halved
* medium carrot cut into large chunks
(Optional extras for interest)
* whole fresh herbs such as rosemary, bay leaf, thyme.
* whole clove garlic
* half a lemon
* Stick of celery
* inch of whole root ginger
* any spanking-fresh dirt-free vegetable peelings or leaves EXCEPT POTATO. Potato makes it starchy and horrible. Ditto Yam. I never use starchy root vegetables for stock. Pre-roasted vegetables of most sorts are alright to add, but pre-boiled veg. tends to turn to flavourless mush. Fruit-veg like tomatoes, courgettes (zuchinni), marrow, squashes etc, can go a bit weird. It's best to cook them separately and add them later if you really want them. Ditto mushrooms.
Bring to boil, let boil for 10 mins, reduce to simmer for at least half an hour to an hour; more if the pot is very large. Stock doesn't really have a 'done' stage; provided all the meat is cooked through, you can let it sit and simmer for a long time.
The beautiful thing is, most stocks for cooking world-wide are only variations on this theme. A typical simple Japanese dashi, for example, is made using flakes of dried bonito in place of bones and a strip of kombu in place of onion and carrot. Best of all you can make it up in a large batch and freeze it in portions to use later.