This wonderful recipe was sent in by Natural Kids Team friend Beccijo Neff from the Enchanted Cupboard. Our family composts. I never thought about using the scraps in such a way. Now we must give it a try.
=====================================================================================================================Best Best Chicken Stock
The best part about this recipe is that it is free (depending on your garden and pantry). This stock is made from thing you would have just thrown away and a few herbs. If you grow your own herbs then there is no up front cost. I must warn you I am not a measure kind of cook, it is all about smell and taste to me. Cooking is a craft and act of love and that is how I cook. This stock can be done quickly if you buy the items or you can save the items over a few weeks and make this on a rainy day!
You will need these cooking tools:
1 Stock Pot Strainer/Colander Canning jars
While you are doing you every day cooking do not throw away the cut off ends of veggies. Here is a list of things to save skins and all: Onion Garlic Carrots Celery
Add these items to a large freezer bag or container to store in your freezer. Once you have collected enough to fill your stock pot ( for me about a months worth) then it is a good night to have roasted chicken for dinner, save the bones and make your stock the next day. If you want to do this right away then you can buy some of each item and cut up into large chunks and put into your stock pot and you can always get a rotisserie chicken from your local grocery store, remove the meat for another meal and add the bones to the stock.
Herbs to add: Handful of Parsley 1 bay leaf 1/2 Handful of Thyme 1/2 handful of Rosemary A few peppercorns
Read to make stock: Put all ingredients into a large stock pot, fill with water, and slowly bring to a boil. Skim foam that floats to the top during this slow heating process and discard. Reduce heat and simmer for four hours. Skim often. Let stock cool and skim of extra fat. Strain the stock from the solids and discard all the other items. Stock can be used right away or frozen in jars for later use.
Cooking: This is an unsalted stock, once you are going to add the stock to your soup I add salt to taste then. You can use this stock in and recipe and soup that calls for chicken stock. To make a vegetable broth just omit chicken.
Beccijo http://www.theenchantedcupboard.com http://www.theenchantedcupboard.etsy.com
That sounds great Beccijo. My family did a cleanse last year and our nutritionist had us do the same but also add things like egg shells. She also suggesting breaking the bones to let the marrow out. I highly recommend not doing this with your hands (am I showing I was a vegetarian for most of my life?) because I cut myself badly when they snapped. Then we would freeze the strained broth and have it once a day. Yum!
I’ve never thought of keeping the ends of veggies! And eggshells??? Wow, I’ll have to have a garbage tub in my freezer! I make stock every time we have roast chicken but never could justify putting veg in, it seems like such a waste to me, but ends i’m chucking out, great idea!