HOMEMADE CHICKEN OR VEGETABLE STOCK BROTH | A: OK | AB: OK | B: OK | O: OK
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A: N | AB: A | B: A | O: N
| A: HB | AB: N | B: N | O: HB
| A: HB | AB: N | B: HB | O: N
| A: HB | AB: N | B: N | O: HB
| A: N | AB: HB | B: N | O: N
| A: HB | AB: HB | B: HB | O: HB
| A: N | AB: N | B: N | O: N
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Up to you is to add a big (South African big) turnip (I believe in Ireland turnips are monstrous), parsnip, or even celery. If you like a more vegetable stock, use more of the vegetables. Me, I like a chicken stock.
If you want a vegetable stock, leave out the chicken. So toss the veg, halved or quartered, no fine chopping here, into some olive oil in the pot and let it sweat for about five minutes while you skin your puny chicken.
You don't have to skin it, because when you put chicken stock into the fridge all the fat floats to the top and you can peel it off.
Put the chicken in the pot and add lots of water. Also a fair amount of salt, I prefer the generous side, but if you're watching salt, use as much as you like. Do add some, because it draws the flavour out of the meat.
Bring the whole lot to the boil (if you get scum, you can skim it off or leave it. I'm a lazy cook), then reduce the heat and let the whole lot simmer for about an hour and a half.
Then take out the chicken, and remove all the edible bits of meat that you can. Use these for a chicken salad, chicken anything, or even just keep the bits in the fridge to nibble on. The chicken will be falling off the bone.
Then put all the bones back into into the pot, and leave it for another three to four hours on low, just simmering away nicely.
Turn the stove off, and leave to cool naturally.(If it's not snowing, you might want to take it off the heat, cool it and fridge it.)
Put a sieve over a large jug and pour the stock through the sieve. Any bits left in the sieve can be thrown away unless you have an obliging dog, but remove the bones before first. I promise you they will be tasteless.
Put the jug in the fridge (or in the snow). The fat will float to the top as it chills and you can peel it off for the cat, or put it on bread instead
If you peeled the chicken up front, you can also render the chicken fat over medium heat in a large saucepan (you need a large saucepan because it splutters.). As the fat comes out of the skin, pour it into a ramekin dish.
The Jews use this on bread with meat fillings. Richard might like to try it instead of butter.
But back to the stock. You will now have a large jug of chicken stock which you can add to any vegetable or combination of vegetables (let me know how it works with tofu....) for a soup with real flavour.
Also you can use it to make risotto and other comfort food. It should gel slightly when chilled, but don't fuss if it doesn't. You probably had a bit much water. I don't think vegetable stock gels.
*AB and B types omit chicken and make Vegetable Broth only.
Submitted by: cyberjanet@mweb.co.za
Copyright 2000 by ER4YT Recipe Project