Take Stock

I make my own chicken stock.  And beef stock.  And I love it.  There I said it.  When I planned to quit smoking almost four years ago, I knew I had to come up with a plan to keep myself busy.  And so it was food.  No processed food, no fast food, minimal dining out, all fresh, all homemade.  Those were the rules.  And lots and lots of alcohol.  Believe it or not - alcohol did not intensify my craving for nicotine.  Breathing and blinking did.

So to kill those cravings, I made dinner from scratch every night.  When I woke up on the weekends - I made chicken stock.  And beef stock.  And chicken noodle, beef barley, pasta fagioli, goulash, cream of asparagus, chipoltle sweet potato, minestrone...  

Now...I'm addicted.   Not to cigarettes...to food.  Steak marinades, chili, chicken cacciatore, tomato sauce, lasagna, buttermilk baked chicken, halibut, seared scallops, lobster fra diavlo...hot damn...I'm HUNGRY.

It is hugely soothing to chop, simmer, salt, slice and stir.  Put the TV on.  Get your knives out.  And go for it.

theAndrew's Chicken Stock

1 3-4 pound bird (preferably free range and organic, mudderf*ckers)*
1 large turnip halved or quarted
1 large onion halved
3 carrots snapped in half
3-4 celery stocks snapped in half
1/2 - 1 whole head of garlic
1 parsnip halved
a handful of whole peppercorns
a few fresh bay leaves
a few sprigs of thyme

• Fill the stock pot to you are just about covering everything.
• Bring to a boil and then simmer for 2 hours (go watch a movie or fish out the ol' abmaster)
• After about 2 hours - I like to mash the vegetables through a sieve to get all of their juices out.  You can use a potato masher.  It's fun.  
• Remove the chicken bones and pick off the good meat (once it cools down for God's sake...) and save the meat for your soup.  Some TV chefs tell you to toss that meat in the garbage.  THEY ARE SINNERS AND GOING TO HELL!  ...It's good meat for soup.  
• Strain your stock through a sieve. Let it cool a bit and then store overnight in your fridge.  All the fat will rise to the top and when you are ready to cook your soup the next day - voila - just scoop it off.  Don't you wish that worked on humans?

*I slice off the breasts and toss in some extra thighs or legs.

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Some extra thoughts for this rainy Sunday

1. Rutgers - five in a row!
2. End of Watch - thumb up - but not avidly so
3. Aimee Mann
4. Mumford & Sons
5. Homeland
6. Malbec
7. Barley
8. Relax and get some sleep