Chicken Stock

When I've got a batch of chicken stock simmering on the stovetop, I know life is going well. It's something I wish was a rolling staple in the freezer but I live many days attending to the urgent and while making a pot of stock is a picture of home and hearth, it is too easy to substitute with a carton when time is thin. What I really like about this stock is that the ingredient list is not extensive nor unusual. We grow all of these herbs at home and as celery and carrot often feature in other meals during the week anyway, it's attractive enough to make solely as a cost-saving exercise coming in at 45 cents a cup. The richness of its health benefits compared to the diluted, salty supermarket options is the main driver for making it and makes every recipe calling for stock suddenly feel a lot healthier. I was recently unwell and pulled out a cup of this stock from the freezer, mixed with two minute noodles and it felt as close to a cure as could be.

Ingredients:
500g chicken bones (frames, backs or wings)
6-7 cups of cold water (enough to cover bones)
1 teaspoon salt
1 carrot, halved
1 teaspoon black peppercorns
Bouquet Garni:
1 celery stalk
3 sprigs parsley
1 sprig thyme
1 bay leaf

Method:
Place the bones in a large, heavy saucepan. Cover with cold water and add the remaining ingredients and the bouquet garni, tied together.
Bring to the boil and carefully skim the surface. Cover pan and simmer very slowly for 3 to 4 hours. Strain through a fine sieve and let cool.
Once no longer hot, refrigerate for a few hours or overnight. Remove the chilled stock and you'll find the fat floating in batches ontop leaving the clear liquid stock underneath. Remove with fine sieve - now you've got the perfectly clear stock! Pour cup-portions into sandwich bags and freeze until required otherwise it will keep in the fridge for a week.

Hints:
Go double on this recipe, it will easily fit in a large saucepan.
I add the salt and pepper after I've brought the liquid to the boil and skimmed the surface otherwise the black peppercorns get stuck in the sieve and I spend ages trying to get them out. You could also add the peppercorns into a tea leaf basket and follow the recipe as normal.
You can often find chicken frames in the refrigerated section of your supermarket (I get 1kg of chicken frames for $5)
Place cup portions of stock in sandwich bags and freeze. The large surface area means they can defrost in a sink of tepid water in 5-10minutes.
Growing your own herbs makes this a really cost efficient alternative to buying stock.

***My Very Special Cookbook, Margaret Fulton, page 75***