A Pause for some cooking chatter
For the past few years I have supported the fund raising efforts of my church and other local non-profits by offering 8 months of home-made soup at their auctions. I offer a quart of soup, made from scratch using seasonal, local ingredients as much as possible, each month from September through April. I aim for low salt, low to no fat, tasty soups.
I originally thought to do this because I like soup and especially enjoy making it in the colder months, but have never mastered how to make small quantities, "soup for one". So, this way I make a lot, 3+ gallons and share with others and also have enough for myself.
Over the years that I've been doing this, I've fine-tuned many parts of the preparation. This year I really worked on, and think I have truly perfected, my stocks.
I had read somewhere when looking at stock recipes that many chefs keep a huge pot on the back burner of the stove and toss scraps into it so that they are always making a rich stock from fresh ingredients.
Taking my cue from this I started saving the peels and scraps from just about all vegetables I prepare. I kept them in a bag in the freezer, adding more as they became available. I put in potato peels, onion and garlic skins, carrot tops, leaves, ends, pieces of that I used. When I needed a vegetable stock, these were more than enough to make a really good base.
When it is time to make a stock, regardless of what kind I was making, the whole bag of frozen, raw, vegetables goes into the pot.
A technique I adopted from the Julia Child's Turkey gravy recipe, is to roast all the meat and or bones first, before adding to the stock. Whatever I was using, and most of the time it was the trimmed parts from the meat, excess fat, and lots of bones, I roast them until they are well browned. Then, in addition to these solids, I de-glaze the pan and add all those flavorful, browned bits to the stock pot.
I use as many fresh herbs and spices as I can. I put all these in a piece of cheese cloth and tie it closed and toss it into the pot. This way the flavor will be there, but not the solids.
And I also cook over a very low flame for a very long time. I bring it to a boil, then lower the flame to as low as I can get, put on a tight cover, and let it simmer for anywhere from 3 to 6 hours.
My goal is to have a rich, clear, low fat stock. To get this I use my stock pot which came with 2 strainer inserts, one the full size of the pot and the other much smaller. I use the larger one put all the solids that will make the stock in it, place it inside the stock pot, and then fill with enough water to cover, but not so much as to boil over and make a mess. When I feel I have gotten all the goodness and flavor out of everything I simply lift the basket and all the bones and large solid pieces are removed.
Then the whole pot goes in the fridge for an hour or so. This lets the excess fat come to the top and solidify so it can be easily removed. And then I filter out all tiny bits and pieces. To do this I line a large strainer with 2 layers of folded cheese cloth and pour the stock through it. This leaves a clear, flavorful stock. If it isn't "thick" enough I add some unflavored gelatin.
Lastly, so that I have some stock for when I may need it, I fill one or two ice cube trays with the stock and freeze. When frozen I transfer the stock cubes to a freezer bag and they are ready for when I need to add one or more to what I am cooking.
Also, my senior citizen cats have teeth and gum issues and need soft foods, so one cube left to defrost in their food dish is a treat they love.
I originally thought to do this because I like soup and especially enjoy making it in the colder months, but have never mastered how to make small quantities, "soup for one". So, this way I make a lot, 3+ gallons and share with others and also have enough for myself.
Over the years that I've been doing this, I've fine-tuned many parts of the preparation. This year I really worked on, and think I have truly perfected, my stocks.
I had read somewhere when looking at stock recipes that many chefs keep a huge pot on the back burner of the stove and toss scraps into it so that they are always making a rich stock from fresh ingredients.
Taking my cue from this I started saving the peels and scraps from just about all vegetables I prepare. I kept them in a bag in the freezer, adding more as they became available. I put in potato peels, onion and garlic skins, carrot tops, leaves, ends, pieces of that I used. When I needed a vegetable stock, these were more than enough to make a really good base.
When it is time to make a stock, regardless of what kind I was making, the whole bag of frozen, raw, vegetables goes into the pot.
A technique I adopted from the Julia Child's Turkey gravy recipe, is to roast all the meat and or bones first, before adding to the stock. Whatever I was using, and most of the time it was the trimmed parts from the meat, excess fat, and lots of bones, I roast them until they are well browned. Then, in addition to these solids, I de-glaze the pan and add all those flavorful, browned bits to the stock pot.
I use as many fresh herbs and spices as I can. I put all these in a piece of cheese cloth and tie it closed and toss it into the pot. This way the flavor will be there, but not the solids.
And I also cook over a very low flame for a very long time. I bring it to a boil, then lower the flame to as low as I can get, put on a tight cover, and let it simmer for anywhere from 3 to 6 hours.
My goal is to have a rich, clear, low fat stock. To get this I use my stock pot which came with 2 strainer inserts, one the full size of the pot and the other much smaller. I use the larger one put all the solids that will make the stock in it, place it inside the stock pot, and then fill with enough water to cover, but not so much as to boil over and make a mess. When I feel I have gotten all the goodness and flavor out of everything I simply lift the basket and all the bones and large solid pieces are removed.
Then the whole pot goes in the fridge for an hour or so. This lets the excess fat come to the top and solidify so it can be easily removed. And then I filter out all tiny bits and pieces. To do this I line a large strainer with 2 layers of folded cheese cloth and pour the stock through it. This leaves a clear, flavorful stock. If it isn't "thick" enough I add some unflavored gelatin.
Lastly, so that I have some stock for when I may need it, I fill one or two ice cube trays with the stock and freeze. When frozen I transfer the stock cubes to a freezer bag and they are ready for when I need to add one or more to what I am cooking.
Also, my senior citizen cats have teeth and gum issues and need soft foods, so one cube left to defrost in their food dish is a treat they love.
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