Alice Waters' Chicken Stock from ‘My Pantry’
Every week, Yahoo Food spotlights a cookbook that stands out from all the rest. This week’s cookbook is My Pantry: Homemade Ingredients That Make Simple Meals Your Own by Alice Waters. Read more about Yahoo Food’s Cookbook of the Week here.
Illustration by Fanny Singer
Chicken Stock
Makes about 5 quarts
There are few things more indispensable to me than a good chicken stock. If I don’t have a generous supply in my freezer, I’m likely to be simmering a fresh pot on the stove. I don’t think I’ve ever thrown away the remnants of a chicken dinner, or the carcass of any roast fowl—it all goes straight into a stockpot with a handful of aromatics to be turned into a fragrant stock. But when I’m back home after being away for a little while, and I want a fresh batch of chicken stock simmering on the stove to warm up the kitchen and give the house a lived-in feeling, that’s when I make the purest and plainest chicken stock, with a whole bird. It’s always the first thing I make if I’m staying somewhere new. A beautiful stock is both one of the most versatile ingredients you can have on hand and the sine qua non of certain dishes such as risotto and pasta in brodo.
1 whole chicken, or meaty chicken parts (about 4 pounds)
1 carrot, peeled
1 onion, peeled and halved
1 celery stalk
1 head garlic, halved (optional)
1 leek, halved and rinsed
1 teaspoon sea salt
A few black peppercorns
A few parsley sprigs
A few thyme sprigs
1 or 2 bay leaves
Put the chicken in a large pot and add 1½ gallons cold water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat, then turn the heat down low so that the broth is barely simmering, with bubbles just breaking the surface.
Skim off the foam that rises to the top, but leave some of the fat as it adds lots of flavor to the stock and can be removed at the end. For a nice clear stock, don’t let it boil again, or the fat and the liquid may emulsify, turning the stock cloudy and greasy. After skimming, add the vegetables, salt, peppercorns, and herbs and continue to simmer for 3 to 4 hours (if you’re in a hurry, you can use the stock after about an hour, before it is fully cooked). Turn off the heat, let the stock cool a bit, then strain, discarding the solids.
Ladle the stock through a fine-mesh sieve into a nonreactive container, or several small containers, for freezing. If using the stock right away, skim off the fat. Otherwise, let the stock cool and refrigerate it with the fat, which will solidify on top and can then be easily removed before you use it. The stock will keep, covered, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or for several months in the freezer.
Reprinted with permission from My Pantry: Homemade Ingredients That Make Simple Meals Your Own by Alice Waters and Fanny Singer (Pam Krauss Books).
More soups to add to your repertoire:
Spiced Yellow Split Pea Soup With Crispy Shallots Recipe
