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no_hypocrisy

(45,773 posts)
Thu Nov 15, 2018, 07:23 PM Nov 2018

Soup Time!

It's snowing hard outside with a wicked wind here in northern NJ.

I ran to the "Farmers Market" just before it started to snow.

I now have a large kettle with all the saved organic chicken carcasses, fresh vegetables, saved chicken schmaltz, garlic on a low flame.

My first recipe after the chicken stock is finished will be cream of mushroom.

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Soup Time! (Original Post) no_hypocrisy Nov 2018 OP
What, pray tell, is saved chicken schmaltz? Lol. Control-Z Nov 2018 #1
Chicken fat. The stuff that give chicken gravy it's mouth feel. irisblue Nov 2018 #2
Nah, it's all good. no_hypocrisy Nov 2018 #3
Thanks. I'm not much of a cook Control-Z Nov 2018 #5
I call it Liquid Gold. no_hypocrisy Nov 2018 #6
Let me tell you about making chicken stock, which is the basis for these soups Fortinbras Armstrong Nov 2018 #8
I made a batch of pasta fagoli, my way. irisblue Nov 2018 #4
We've got snow coming tonight 2naSalit Nov 2018 #7

no_hypocrisy

(45,773 posts)
3. Nah, it's all good.
Thu Nov 15, 2018, 07:40 PM
Nov 2018

I save the juices and chicken fat at the bottom of the pan when I roast chickens. It's very tasty and adds flavor to the stock.

Control-Z

(15,681 posts)
5. Thanks. I'm not much of a cook
Thu Nov 15, 2018, 08:03 PM
Nov 2018

so this is the first I've heard of it. But it's this kind of thing that scares me off of a lot of recipes. Seems like a lot of work.

Fortinbras Armstrong

(4,473 posts)
8. Let me tell you about making chicken stock, which is the basis for these soups
Fri Nov 16, 2018, 05:26 AM
Nov 2018

If you look in my freezer, you will find several quarts of chicken stock in mason jars. There are two somewhat different ways of making chicken stock, the first using leftover chicken, the second a fancier way using raw chicken backs and necks. Cooks Illustrated magazine did some tests to see what vegetable additions to chicken stock affect the taste: They found the only two things that actually make a difference are onions and bay leaves.

Stock from Leftover Roast Chicken

Every time I roast a chicken I keep the uncooked giblets, except the liver, which is bitter when boiled, the bones and the carcass for stock – the carcass I keep in the roasting pan. I start making the stock by pulling out my 4 liter stock pot and throwing in a couple of bay leaves and an unpeeled onion cut into quarters. The onion peelings will only make an already fairly dark stock a bit darker, and it’s less work not to peel the onion.

Cut off the meat and reserve it for another use. Put the giblets, skin and bones with any meat adhering to the carcass into the pot. There will almost certainly be some jellied matter in the bottom of the roasting pan, put that in the pot. Rinse the roasting pan with hot tap water and dump it into the pot. Keep rinsing the pan until there is nothing left in the bottom and the pot is full to within and inch or so of the top. Add no salt – you are making stock, not soup. Bring it to the boil, and then reduce the heat to the lowest simmer.

Skim any brown or gray scum that rises to the top and throw it out. Let the stock simmer for at least three hours – four is even better. Cool the stock uncovered, and when it is cool enough to handle, strain it into a large bowl or another pot. Discard the bones (which have been boiled long enough that they are safe to feed to dogs, do not give the onions or bay leaves to the dogs). Pour the stock into jars, label the jars with the date (masking tape and a Sharpie is the easiest) and refrigerate. Chicken stock will keep in the fridge for three days or so, and can be frozen for several months. Please note that the jars should not be filled to the top – remember that water expands when frozen, and the jars will crack if overfilled.

Chicken Stock From Necks And Backs

Get about four pounds of chicken necks and backs. If you can get chicken feet, grab some, as they have a lot of flavor. Chop the chicken into two inch pieces – I have a Chinese cleaver which does this very well. Since we want a light colored stock, peel and chop a large onion. If you have a couple of tablespoons of chicken fat, heat it in the stock pot, and sauté the onion in the schmaltz until softened but not browned. Otherwise, sauté it in a flavorless oil, such as canola oil. Remove the onions to a bowl, and put in half the chicken pieces. Brown them lightly, and then put them in the bowl with the onions. Brown the rest of the chicken, then put the onions and the already browned chicken pieces into the pot. Reduce the heat, cover the pot, and let the chicken cook until it releases its juices. Add a couple quarts of water and two bay leaves to the pot, bring it to the boil, then reduce the heat, cover the pot, and simmer it for an hour.

Skim any scum which rises to the surface. I would note that when Chinese chefs make a similar stock, they may well throw out the first batch of water, so they get a really clear and light colored stock. I suspect most Chinese cooks don’t bother; I certainly don’t. (Chinese chicken stock, by the way, is made much the same way as this stock, but simmered longer and flavored with slices of fresh ginger and green onions.)

After an hour, cool the stock in the pot and strain it into a large bowl. If you want to be picky, pour it through a strainer lined with cheesecloth. If you aren’t picky, just use a large medium mesh strainer. Discard the chicken pieces – which are not safe to give to the dog – and pour the stock into jars. Again, this will keep in the fridge for about three days, or can be frozen indefinitely.

2naSalit

(86,054 posts)
7. We've got snow coming tonight
Thu Nov 15, 2018, 09:40 PM
Nov 2018

and I had to blast over to the nearest town to get some groceries for the weekend. I don't care how much we get, I don't feel like going anywhere. Think I'll put some soup on too.

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