There’s nothing better than coming after a long day at work and being able to make a great tasting hearty soup or risotto for dinner in 30 minutes and that’s easy to achieve by having home made stock in the freezer when you need it.
Making good stock is easy, but it does take time and the number of uses are endless; from soups and risotto, to casseroles and sauces. Here are two recipes for tasty and healthy stock you can easily make at home on the weekend and freeze to use when you need it.
Fragrant Chicken Stock
Start by rinsing 1 fresh chicken under cold water and place it in a large pot. Add 1 onion, 1 carrot and 1 celery stick (washed and roughly chopped) and ¼ bunch of washed parsley (whole). Add 6 black peppercorns and 1 TBLS of sea salt.
Add cold water so that it covers the chicken completely.
Bring to the boil slowly skimming the surface to remove any froth – this will result in a lovely clear stock.
Simmer slowly for at least 3 hours. Cooking it for longer produces a more intense flavour.
Allow the stock to cool then remove the chicken and vegetables, then strain to remove the peppercorns.
You can use the stock immediately, or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it once cooled, for up to 3 months .
Remove the chicken meat off the bones and use it for Chicken pie for tomorrow night’s dinner.
TIP: To add even more flavour, you could also use leftover bones from the previous night’s roast chicken dinner.
Flavoursome Vegetable Stock
What you need
- 2 onions or leeks
- 3 carrots
- 3 celery stalks
- 2 parsnips
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 small bunch parsley
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- ½ tsp sea salt (optional)
What you do
Wash all the vegetables thoroughly cut them in large chunks and place in a large pot.
Add washed thyme and parsley, then bay leaf, peppercorns and salt.
Add cold water so that it covers the vegetables and you are able to easily stir the vegetables. Less water means that your stock will be more concentrated; more water makes a lighter-flavoured stock.
Bring to the boil slowly skimming the surface to remove any froth – this will result in a lovely clear stock.
Simmer slowly for 1 to 1½ hours.
Allow the stock to cool then remove the vegetables, then strain to remove the peppercorns.
You can use the stock immediately, or store it in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze it once cooled, for up to 3 months.
TIP: You can add more flavour to your stock by roasting the vegetables beforehand or letting them sweat (start to soften and release their liquids) for a few minutes over the heat before adding the water.
Meatballs and Muffins 