It’s that time again….it’s a cold Sunday afternoon, so what better way to spend it than by making Homemade Chicken Stock?
Store-bought will do in a pinch, but why not have the good stuff, aka, “Liquid Gold” in the freezer?
Homemade Chicken Stock
Ingredients
5 lbs chicken drumsticks
3 large yellow onions, unpeeled + quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled + halved
4 celery stalks, cut in thirds
4 parsnips, unpeeled + cut in half
Half a bunch of parsley
Half a bunch of thyme
Small bunch of tarragon
1 head of garlic, unpeeled, cut in half lengthwise
2 Tbsp coarse pink salt (or kosher salt)
1 Tbsp black peppercorns
Preparation
Place a 16-quart stock pot over high heat and add the chicken, onions, carrots, celery, and parsnips.
Add 4 quarts of water.
Add the parsley, thyme, tarragon, garlic, salt, and pepper.
Add 3 quarts of water.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down to medium-low and simmer, partially covered, for 4 hours.
Check occasionally to make sure it isn’t boiling or so low that it isn’t simmering (small, gentle bubbles breaking the surface).
Strain the liquid and discard the solids.
Store in plastic containers with lids in whatever sizes work well for you. I usually have a combination of 1 cup, 2 cups, and 4 cups on hand.
Chill in the fridge overnight and then store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Using masking tape and a Sharpie to date them works well for easy removal.
Stocked up on supplies so I don’t have to go outside for 2 days – check.
Sunday plan for dinner – check.
I love a good beef stew. But I feel like I’ve been searching for a “good” beef stew my whole life. I’ve tried versions in restaurants, recipes, prepackaged at the store, you name it! It wasn’t until I found, made, and tried this version that I could honestly say, “Now that’s a good beef stew!”
Many of you know how much I love cookbooks…I read them like a book. Years ago, I fell in love with Ina Garten’s books, and many of my recipes are inspired by her approach to cooking. This recipe, Parker’s Beef Stew, is from her 2008 book Barefoot Contessa: Back to Basics. Honestly, there are SO many recipes that I absolutely love in this book: Roasted Shrimp Cocktail, Roasted Potato Leek Soup, Cape Cod Chopped Salad, Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Warm Cider Vinaigrette, Roasted Tomato Caprese Salad, Easy Sole Meuniere, Indonesian Grilled Swordfish, Spring Green Risotto, Confetti Corn, and Parmesan-Roasted Broccoli. There’s also a handy cooking guide at the beginning of the Lunch chapter to help us all modernize our cooking temps to prevent ending up with dry, overcooked meat.
Here it is in all it’s glory…
Parker’s Beef Stew
Ingredients
2 ½ lbs good-quality chuck beef, cut into 1 ¼ inch cubes
1 750-ml bottle good red wine, such as Cabernet Sauvignon
3 whole garlic cloves, smashed
3 bay leaves
6 oz bacon, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 c + 2 tbsp all-purpose flour, divided
Kosher salt + freshly ground black pepper
2 c chopped yellow onion (2 onions)
Good olive oil ( I use California Olive Ranch Global Blend)
2 tbsp minced garlic (6 cloves); use a garlic crusher if you have one
1 lb carrots, peeled and cut diagonally into 1 ½ -inch chunks
1 lb small potatoes, halved or quartered (I like baby red potatoes, no need to peel)
1 14.5 oz can beef stock
1 large branch fresh rosemary
½ c sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped
2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1 10-oz package frozen peas (not petit pois)
Preparation
Place the beef in a bowl with the red wine, smashed garlic, and bay leaves. Cover the bowl and marinate the beef in the refrigerator overnight.
Brown the bacon in a large (12-inch) sauté pan for 5 to 7 minutes, over medium-low heat. With a slotted spoon, transfer the bacon to a Dutch oven. Combine 2 cups of the flour, 1 tbsp salt, and 1 tbsp pepper in a large bowl. Lift the beef out of the marinade and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade.
In batches, dredge the beef cubes in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. In the same sauté pan, brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown on all sides. Place the browned beef in the Dutch oven with the bacon and brown the remaining beef. Add the second batch to the Dutch oven. (You might need to do this in 3 batches, depending on the size of your sauté pan.)
Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 300 degrees.
Lower the heat under the sauté pan to medium-low, add the onions, and cook for 5 minutes, adding olive oil if necessary. Add the minced/crushed garlic and cook for 1 minute more.
Add the carrots and potatoes and cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven with the beef. Add 2 ½ cups of the reserved marinade (discard the rest) to the sauté pan and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon.
Add the beef stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 2 tsp salt, and 2 tsp pepper.
Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring it to a simmer over medium heat.
Cover the pot and place it in the oven for 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. (I do this at the 1-hour mark.) If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 275 degrees.
When the stew is done and the meat is tender, discard the rosemary branch. Ladle 1 cup of the pan juices into a bowl and whisk in the remaining 2 tbsp of flour. Pour it back into the stew, stir gently, and simmer for 3 minutes, until thickened.
Stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.
Honestly, this recipe isn’t all that fussy or too time-consuming. I mean, hey, you don’t even have to peel the potatoes! If you really don’t have the time or energy, you can skip the crispy shallots.
I decided to add some crumbled gorgonzola, which, in retrospect, was too tangy and took away from the beautifully simple flavors of the potatoes and leeks.
Yes, this soup has cream in it. (You can sub in half-n-half or whole milk if you really have to.) The creamy texture here is all due to those potatoes.
Serve it with crusty bread. You’re welcome!
Ingredients: Soup
4 large leeks, chopped
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp white pepper
2 lbs Yukon Gold potatoes, small chop
6 c. vegetable broth
3 sprigs thyme
1 c. heavy cream
Preparation: Soup
Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, salt, and pepper and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are soft.
Add the potatoes, broth, garlic, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are very soft.
Remove the thyme. Using an immersion (or stand) blender, puree the soup until smooth (or leave some chunks, it’s up to you).
Pour in the cream, stir, and serve.
Ingredients: Topping
1 giant (or 2 med) shallot, thinly sliced
⅔ c. olive oil
2 Tbsp unsalted butter
Preparation: Topping
Melt the butter and oil in a small pan over med-low heat until it reaches 220 degrees.
Add the sliced shallots and cook 30-40 minutes, stirring occassionally, until golden brown. Do not let the temp get above 260 degrees, or they will burn.
Cool on paper towels.
Store in an airtight container on the counter for several days.
Among the bounty from the Fisher Hill Farm CSA this week were English Peas and Spring Onions.
The recipe comes from Joshua McFadden’s 2018 James Beard Award Winning book, Six Seasons: A New Way with Vegetables. It is absolutely scrumptious. (I am eagerly awaiting his new book, out this October, Grains for Every Season: Rethinking Our Way with Grains.)
My peas had been picked a few days ago, so I quickly heated them through to reduce any starchiness and enhance their innate pea-ness. I didn’t have mint (which would have been so yummy) so I used some fresh thyme instead. I made whipped ricotta to use in this recipe, super simple, and can be used for so many other things! I used Wegman’s Organic Sourdough Miche and it was perfect for this dish.
Homemade Chicken Stock is both necessary and an indulgence.
I say this because it will always add a better depth of flavor (read: not just salty chicken water) to whatever you’re making – therefore, it’s necessary.
It’s also an indulgence because it’s just so damn delicious!
I use chicken wings for a couple of reasons: they’re inexpensive and have lots of bones.
I roast the chicken wings for one reason: flavor development.
This is one of those lazy Sunday recipes … and it makes the house smell amazing!
Ingredients
4 lbs chicken wings
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered
6 carrots, unpeeled, ends trimmed off, cut into thirds*
4 celery stalks, ends trimmed off, cut into thirds*
1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half crosswise
Small handful fresh parsley (about 20 sprigs)
Small handful fresh tarragon (about 5 sprigs)**
Small handful fresh thyme (about 15 sprigs)**
2 bay leaves
2 Tbsp kosher salt
2 tsp whole black peppercorns
8 quarts water
* If I have parsnips on hand, I’ll substitute some of the carrots and celery stalks.
**If I have other herbs available, I may substitute dill, a little sage, a tiny bit of rosemary, or oregano for the tarragon and/or thyme. I always use parsley and bay. I’ve also been known to throw in some dried tarragon and thyme in desperate times.
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 450. Take 2 half sheet pans and pour one tablespoon of olive oil on each pan, spreading it out.
Divide the chicken wings among the sheet pans and flip over the wings so both sides have oil on them. (No need to season, the stock gets seasoned later)
Roast for 30 minutes, turn over, roast for another 30 minutes. (If it gets a little smoky…open a window and turn off the fire alarms)
Meanwhile, add all of the other ingredients to a large stockpot (16 to 20 quarts).
When the chicken is done, put it in the stockpot.
Add a few tablespoons of water, dry white wine, or dry vermouth to each sheet pan.
Over a low heat, scrape up browned bits on the sheet pans and pour everything into the stockpot.
Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer.
Simmer, uncovered, for 4 hours.
Let cool for 30 minutes.
Discard all solids. Pour through a fine mesh strainer so only the gorgeous stock remains.
Package in containers, date, and store in the freezer for up to 6 months.
Recently, someone asked if I had a good French Onion Soup recipe I could pass along… I said I did, then got home and realized…actually, no, I didn’t. I had found recipes throughout the years that were close…almost what I was looking for…but never quite what I had envisioned as THE French Onion Soup.
After some research of those beloved recipes, along with some others, I created what is my favorite French Onion Soup recipe. It uses a lot of onions, yes, …but they will reduce down…I promise you that. It uses both beef and chicken stocks…gasp..for those beef stock purists, I know. For me, I find using only beef stock can be too one-note / beefy / salty. The wine is my own invention…not red, not white, but rose. (What?!) The day I was testing this recipe the only dry white I had on hand was a very buttery, very oak-y Chardonnay…not right for this soup. The onions are already so sweet once they caramelize, I needed a wine with acidity. I happened to have a really nice, dry, tart Rose..so in it went.
When I served this for dinner, everyone was happy (and I even got a round of applause). This is my French Onion Soup. Enjoy!
Ingredients
¼ c duck fat (or butter)
5 lbs yellow onions (about 5 large)
1 tsp kosher salt
¼ c dry sherry
1 c dry rose wine (I use Les Allies Grenache Rose, OR you can use a dry white wine like unoaked Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio)
4 c chicken stock
4 c beef stock
2 large sprigs thyme
2 bay leaves
Salt & pepper, to taste
1 baguette (or other crusty bread)
4 oz Gruyere, shredded (about 1 cup)
Preparation
Halve the onions lengthwise and slice into ¼” strips (use a Mandoline – WITH the hand guard – if you have one to make quick work of this step).
In a large Dutch oven, melt the duck fat (or butter) over medium-low heat. Add the onions (it’s A LOT of onions, they WILL get reduced, I promise) and salt, toss them in the fat to coat. Cover with a heavy, tight fitting lid (or tightly crimped foil) and sweat for 1 hour. Stir occasionally, the onions probably won’t stick, but you don’t want them to burn, so keep an eye on them.
Remove the lid, the onions will be soft and liquidy. Keep the heat at a low to medium-low heat, depending on the strength of your burner. You don’t want the onions to burn, this will ruin the whole thing. [IF you get a little burning on the bottom of the pan, lower the heat, pour in a little of the wine to deglaze the pan and keep a better eye on it – I mention this because I’ve done it.] Saute for another 45 – 60 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent burning. The onions will turn a deep, rich brown and will reduce significantly.
Pour in the sherry, deglazing the pan and let the wine cook away (2-3 minutes).
Pour in the wine, chicken and beef stocks, thyme, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil.
Lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. Remove the bay and thyme.
Taste for seasoning. Add salt and/or pepper, if needed.
Heat your broiler and put the top rack somewhere in the top ⅓ of the oven.
Ladle the onion soup into each crock.
Top with a slice or two of bread (depending on the size of the bread and the crock, you want it to basically cover the soup). Sprinkle with the shredded Gruyere.
Place under the broiler for 2 minutes to melt the cheese…enjoy!
Larry: Let’s do leftovers and “fend for your self” for dinner tonight.
Shawn: Ok.
[Dinnertime, walking into the kitchen and seeing what’s on the stove…]
Larry: I thought we were doing leftovers/fend for yourself …
Shawn: A. I had leftovers for lunch and breakfast I am fending for myself…
Ok…so the color of this soup is not the most photogenic…but that’s because the vegetables are all roasted (yum!). The not-working-because-of-the-coronavirus situation has me nesting…in the kitchen…so far I’ve made Beef Stew, Tomato Sauce, Mac & Cheese, and now this delicious Roasted White Vegetable Soup. You can alter the vegetables, based on what you have in the pantry, these just happened to be the ones I had on hand. Enjoy!
Ingredients
2 bulbs fennel, 1” chop
2 Japanese (or regular) sweet potatoes, 1” chop
6 cloves garlic, whole
4 leeks, 1” wide slices
1 ½ – 2 lbs potatoes, 1” chop
4 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp kosher salt
1 tsp pepper
6 – 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
Homemade croutons (optional)
Crumbled bacon (optional)
Olive oil drizzle (optional)
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425.
Toss all of the cut vegetables in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper.
Divide among two half-sheet pans.
Roast for 15 minutes. Turn with spatula. Roast for an additional 10 minutes, or until tender.
In a Dutch oven, heat 8 cups stock.
Add roasted vegetables to stock and puree with an immersion (OR use a regular blender and do it in 2-3 batches and then return to Dutch oven).
Season to taste.
Thin with more stock, if needed, then reheat.
Serve with croutons, crumbled bacon, and a drizzle of olive oil.
NOTE: vegetables can be roasted earlier in the day or the night before and refrigerated, for a super quick dinner after work.
I woke up this morning and wanted to make something we had at Violet’s 1st Birthday/Welcome Home party almost 12 years ago…these adorable and delicious Egg Salad Tea Sandwiches! While you can enjoy these any time of day, they would traditionally be served at Afternoon Tea (not High Tea).
Ingredients
4 tsp mayonnaise (I use Hellman’s)
1 tsp Dijon mustard (I use Grey Poupon)
2 hard-boiled eggs, finely chopped
3 slices cooked bacon, finely chopped
6 slices white bread
Strong tea*
Green Tea: Genmaicha Oolong Tea: Oriental Beauty Black Tea: English or Irish Breakfast
Preparation (Makes 6 sandwiches)
Mix mayo and Dijon in a small bowl..
Add the egg to the bowl and mix well.
Using a 2” round cookie or biscuit cutter, cut two circles out of each slice of bread. (I make croutons or bread crumbs from the leftover bread.)
Divide the egg salad evenly among 6 bread circles. Top with remaining 6 bread circles.
If you care about a smooth edge: Holding the sandwich in one hand, use the length of a finger on the other hand to gently pack the edges into the sandwich.
keenasmustardny.com 