Soups are wonderful, versatile and personal. They can be simple and elegant, hearty and rustic, and most of all adaptable. Every good soup begins with a good stock: chicken, beef, vegetable or fish. Whether homemade or store bought, it provides the base for the layers of ingredients that go into creating your soup. A good chicken stock is simple to make — and an excellent way to use up the food scraps in your fridge. It’s a good winter’s-day project, as it doesn’t require a lot of attention once it gets going; it really just needs time to simmer and bubble away, creating a beautiful and flavourful start for your next soup.
Makes 3 litres
Ingredients
1 lb chicken bones or 2 chicken legs
2 onions
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
3 to 4 cloves garlic
2 to 3 bay leaves
Parsley stems
Method
- Place chicken bones in a 4-litre pot and cover with cold water.
- Bring to a boil over medium-high, lower heat and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, skimming scum and fat as necessary.
- Add everything else diced and herbs and simmer for another 2 to 3 hours.
- Strain through a fine strainer/sieve into a clean glass container.
- Cool, stirring frequently, then refrigerate.
The stock can stored in a freezer for up to 6 months.
Enjoy! 🙂
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Latham Hunter is a writer and professor. As a mother of five kids with varying dietary needs, she’s been working on gluten-free, dairy-free, vegan and vegetarian cooking for as long as she can remember. She focuses on sustainable, healthy ingredients, particularly organic, plant-based meals.
