Dayrecipe Food Community

Chicken stock is one of the great all-purpose kitchen preparations, and you’ll be surprised at how useful it is in chowder making. It is unsurpassed as a vehicle for soups and stews, providing nutrients, a luxuriant texture, and a delicious flavor. I am always amazed at how the flavor of chicken stock melts into other flavors and allows them to come through clearly. That’s why it is staple ingredient in most any culture’s soups.

Chicken stock can be used in place of fish stock or clam broth in chowder or seafood recipes. It is a necessity in corn chowder or other farmhouse chowders. It is so useful, in fact, you may want to double the recipe and keep some in the freezer.

Chicken stock is made with chicken bones, vegetables, herbs, and spices. Not all markets cut chicken as frequently as they once did, since the large processor companies have taken over the job, so it is a good idea to call your butcher or supermarket to be sure they will save them for you. Typically necks, backs, and wing tips are sold for stock and they work fine, but it helps the stock to have a few carcasses as well. Cut the carcasses into 3 or 4 pieces before using. My wife, Nancy, freezes carcasses from roast chicken dinners. When she gathers enough, she defrosts them and makes a very good stock. You can make stock from raw chicken bones, cooked chicken carcasses, or a combination of both.

Makes about 2 1/2 quarts.

INGREDIENTS

• 6 pounds chicken bones (backs, necks, carcasses, and/or wing tips)
• 3 quarts water
• 2 large onions, unpeeled, coarsely chopped
• 4 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 3 medium carrots, coarsely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, crushed
• 3 dried bay leaves
• 8 fresh parsley stems (italian or curly)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 whole cloves
• 2 teaspoons black peppercorns
• kosher or sea salt

DIRECTIONS 1. Place the chicken bones in a 6- to 8-quart stockpot, add the cold water, and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon and skimming the white foam from the top of the stock. (Using a ladle and a circular motion, push the foam from the center to the outside of the pot, where it is easy to remove.) Turn down to a simmer and skim again. It is important to have a clean stock before you add the other ingredients, because the foam is impure and should not be cooked into the stock; if the stock is not clean before you add the herbs and spices, you will wind up skimming them off, altering the flavor of the recipe. However, there is no need to skim the fat; it will flavor the stock during the cooking and can be removed after straining.

2. Add the onions, celery, carrots, garlic, bay leaves, parsley stems, thyme, cloves, and peppercorns and simmer slowly for 3 hours, gently stirring a few times. Top the stock off with water if the level goes below the bones. Towards the end of the cooking time, season the stock lightly with salt and start tasting it for doneness.

3. Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve. If you are not going to be using it within the hour, chill it as quickly as possible. You can skim the fat while the stock is still warm, but the easiest way is to wait until the fat solidifies at the top of the chilled stock, then just remove it in one piece. Cover the broth after it has completely cooled and keep refrigerated for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Chef’s Notes
Leave the skin on the onion, it helps give the stock a lovely golden color.

Follow my recipe, but don’t be afraid to add a bit more chicken, onion, carrot, and/or celery. The vegetables for the stock can be coarsely chopped, in large pieces — the cooking time is ample to extract all of their flavor.

For equipment, you will need a 7- to 8-quart stockpot, a ladle, and a fine-mesh strainer.

This poultry dish features many of the flavors of the classic Moroccan dish b’stilla but is much easier to make.

Makes 4 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 3tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2cup blanched almonds2medium onions, thinly sliced
• 21 3/4-pound cornish game hens, quartered
• 2cups water
• 1/2cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 2tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger
• 1teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/8teaspoon ground cloves1/2cup honey
• 1cup mixed dried fruit (such as pitted dates, pitted prunes, and apricots), halved if large
• 1/3cup raisins

DIRECTIONS Heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add almonds; sauté until golden, about 8 minutes. Turn almonds out onto paper towels and drain. (Can be made 2 days ahead. Store airtight at room temperature.)

Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and sauté until beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Add game hens, 2 cups water, chopped parsley, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until game hens are cooked through, turning once, about 35 minutes. Using tongs, transfer game hen pieces to bowl.

Degrease pan juices. Add honey, dried fruit, and raisins and simmer until fruit is tender, about 15 minutes. Return hen pieces to sauce. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool slightly. Refrigerate uncovered until cold, then cover and keep refrigerated.) Rewarmgame hens in sauce over medium-low heat. Transfer to large platter. Sprinkle with almonds.

Imported from Italy early in the decade, sun-dried tomatoes seduced the nation. Two other obsessions were pasta and pesto. All those ingredients combine here in a dish that doesn’t age.

Makes 4 to 6 servings.

INGREDIENTS

These are great with maple syrup, honey, marmalade, or even cottage cheese.

Makes about 12.

INGREDIENTS

• 1cup old-fashioned oats
• 1cup all purpose flour
• 1/4cup (packed) golden brown sugar
• 1 1/2teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4cup plain yogurt
• 3/4cup whole milk
• 2large eggs
• 1/2teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2ripe bananas, mashed
• 1cup raisins
• 1/4cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, meltedadditional melted butter

DIRECTIONS Whisk first 6 ingredients in medium bowl. Whisk yogurt, milk, eggs, and vanilla in another medium bowl to blend. Whisk dry ingredients into yogurt mixture just until blended. Fold in mashed bananas, raisins, and 1/4 cup melted butter.

Brush nonstick griddle or skillet with melted butter; heat over medium heat. Working in batches, pour batter by 1/3 cupfuls onto griddle. Cook pancakes until bubbles form on top and bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Turn pancakes over and cook until bottoms are golden brown, about 2 minutes.

You can easily recreate this recipe with a wonderful free-range
chicken. As for the candied chestnuts, I recommend using freshly cooked,
shelled chestnuts which are still quite sweet!

Makes 6 to 8 servings.

INGREDIENTS

• 1 4-pound capon, cleaned and trimmed
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
• 4imported bay leaves, driedfor the stuffing:
• 1 pound 4 ounces lean ground pork
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs
• 6 candied chestnuts (or 10 regular, peeled chestnuts)
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground allspice
• 1 large egg
• fine sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS 1.Preheat the oven to 450°F.

2.Remove the giblets from the capon. Rinse out the cavity with cold water
and pat it dry. Season it with salt and pepper.Carefully separate the
skin from the meat of the breast meat of the capon. Divide the butter in
two equal parts, and carefully spread half of it on each side of the breast
meat with your fingers, being careful not to break the skin. Carefully lay
a bay leaf atop the butter on each side of the breast meat.

3. Coarsely chop the giblets.In a medium-sized bowl, mix together the
pork, the breadcrumbs, the giblets, the chestnuts, the thyme, and the
spices, working the mixture together with your fingers so it is
homogeneous. As you work, the chestnuts will break into pieces — leave them
in uneven pieces.Mix in the egg thoroughly with your hands, then season
with salt and pepper. Sauté a teaspoon of the stuffing and taste it for
seasoning. Adjust if necessary.Place as much of the stuffing as you can
fit inside the capon, without packing it in too hard.Place any leftover
stuffing in a baking dish.

4.Truss the capon and place it in a roasting pan. Add 1 cupwater.Roast it in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, then turn it on
one side. Roast it for 25 minutes, then turn it on the other side and roast
it for 25 minutes.Finally, leaving it breast up, continue to roast it
until the juices of the capon run golden and the stuffing inside the bird
reaches a temperature of 160°F, a total of about 2 hours, checking it
occasionally to be sure that it isn’t browning too much, and adding more water if the pan is dry.Remove the capon
from the oven and season it liberally with salt and pepper. Turn it on its
breast at an angle, so the juices run into the breast meat, and let it rest
for at least 20 minutes before carving.

5. Place the roasting pan over medium heat and add three-quarters cup
water. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan and cook until
reduced by about one-third.Taste for seasoning.

6. To serve the capon, present it first at the table, whole, then carve it.Remove the stuffing in one piece if possible and slice it.