Making Stock and Some Souper Tips

STOCK

 Having stock as a staple is a great way to save money. A good stock can be used for soups, gravy, sauces, to flavor up mashed potatoes, pasta, vegetables, rice, etc. On its own, it makes a hearty broth to drink and is wonderful for an upset stomach or sore throat. I try to always keep chicken stock in the freezer.

I'd imagine some people think making stock requires extra groceries or special purchases. I use garbage to make my stock. Really.

Some of the ingredients I keep in baggies in the freezer for chicken stock are the following:

• The bones, skin, juice, and uneaten bits of rotisserie chickens
• Wing tips or any scraps from any cut of chicken, including trimmings
• The ends of celery, onions, carrots, etc.- basically any 'trash' bits of a veggie you've cut, or even a veggie that may have gone past its prime and couldn't be served as is.

When there's about 2 quarts of these ingredients, or I need freezer space, it's time to make stock. The directions are as follows:

Dump everything in a huge pot, fill the pot 3/4 full and boil. I'm currently using a 12qt pot my mother gifted me.Boil until the broth suits your taste. Then strain it and put the broth in the fridge. When it cools, there will be a layer of fat on top. Scrape that off and either render the fat, or throw it away. Your stock should have the texture of Jell-O. If it does not, you need to put it back on the stove and boil it longer. Aim for 1/2 the amount you're starting with. A dark broth can always have water added to it, but the really dark broth will mean it takes up less freezer space.

To freeze, either put in containers, baggies, or freeze portions in an ice cube tray and then put in baggies. I just dump 2 cups into a freezer bag.

You can do the same thing to make beef, fish, or vegetable broth. According to Julia Child, fish stock only needs about 30 minutes. According to me, filling my house with the scent of fish is not something I'll ever do. We're not really fish people unless it's canned tuna or fish sticks. Yes, we eat fish sticks occasionally. We like our fish minced and indistinguishable... and slathered in tartar sauce. ;-)

SOUPER TIPS

Anytime you have a scrap of veggies, chicken, beef, cream, salsa, tomato paste/sauce, any tomato product really, potatoes, pasta, rice, whatever... freeze it! I put the veggies, chicken, and tomato products all together. Mixed with some stock and some spices, they make for an awesome and 'free' soup. If it was headed for the trash otherwise, it's free in my book. The cream can be added to soups or mashed potatoes. The pastas and rice can be tossed in to any soup to add some heartiness. There's really no reason to ever throw out a leftover- unless it tasted like crap to begin with.

If you're looking for a new starch to try in soups, barley is amazing! And lentils are great in beef based soups.

You don't need to follow a recipe for broth based soups.. and really, where's the fun in following a recipe for soup anyway? Throw a bunch of stuff you like in a pot and have at it. For cream based soups, I do recommend you not go throwing tomatoes or something in it without pureeing it when you're done, but outside of that, even those are 'whatever' as long as your base consistency is good.

So, go! Make some stock! Make a soup! Tell me about it.  :-) Are you a "throw some stuff in a pot" type of soup person?