Stocking Up

I swear I wasn't trying to make a pun when I though of this title. But I'm keeping it, because it really is the mood I'm in this week. After several days of post-vacation, no-food-in-the-house existence, I was humbled when J expressed nostalgia for the childhood days of a fridge full of fresh produce and leftovers.

I realized I had fallen into my collegiate habit of a few small trips to the market every week for the odd baguette, wedge of cheese and a couple apples. I think I thought there was something French about this.


But things are different now. Living with someone means thinking about the future. Like, next week. So it was time to make good on my promise to use up all the baggies of chicken parts (a collection augmented by our recent passion for butterflying chickens correctly! We've been doing it backwards this whole time) and carrot stubs waiting in the freezer.


I used the pasta pot with built-in strainer, which works great in theory as you don't have to put everything in a bag or cheesecloth. Ours is a little stupid, though, since the straining holes go all the way up to the top and you have to leave several inches of room in the pot so the liquid doesn't seep out the sides.


15 minutes of assembling the raw material + 4 hours of simmering while roasting a big batch of beets and cutting up a whole buncha kale and mushrooms = a mise en place for the whole rest of the week and a sense of plenty upon opening the fridge.

Chicken Stock (adapted from kitchn)

Place chicken parts (I had necks and backbones. Some recipes want you to put whole chicken parts in, but to me the point of this project is to use up scraps), vegetable bits (root ends of carrots are ok, as are wilted greens like celery tops; just no onion skins and I think cabbage is a no as well), a chopped up onion or two and a couple cloves of garlic plus whatever fresh herbs you have around (my oregano, rosemary and parsley have survived!) and a pinch or 2 or 3 of salt in a pasta pot or in a cloth bag. Add enough water to cover.

Bring to a boil and then turn down a little so the stock is just bubbling. If someone walks in and says "It smells amazing in here!", make sure the pot is covered and turn the heat down a tad. The yummy smell is flavor compounds being released.

Read a book, listen to a podcast. 4 hours of simmering should be good. Strain, let cool, and refridgerate stock overnight. Skim the congealed fat if you want, discard it or save it for cooking. Put in bags or tupperware (I also filled an ice cube tray) and freeze.