Stock

Pretty much the foundation to a lot of the cooking I do is good, quality stock. I've made veggie and beef in the past, but mostly I make chicken stock. It's also a very therapeutic endeavor. Great for Saturdays or Sundays during football season. I tend to only roast chickens during the winter months. Besides, you don't want something giving off six hours of steam in your house in the middle of summer.

First thing's first. You need to get a chicken carcass and some veg together. Here's my basic roasted chicken recipe.

1 good chicken. I rarely side with the foodies, but I cave on birds. Get an organic without any antibiotics. Free range is less of a concern to me because, after all, it's a chicken. The crap they put into the chicken is another matter and from my experience, the taste is effected by said crap.

1 head of garlic, 1 onion, 2 cups chicken stock - store bought is fine, 1 lemon, rosemary (I use fresh but dried works), butter, salt and pepper.

Preheat oven to 450 F.

Remove giblets if any. Rinse the chicken. I know, seems daft but do it. Pat it dry with paper towels and pitch them when done. Wash your hands after touching the chicken at any point throughout the process.

Coat the cavity with salt and pepper, quarter the lemon and cram it in the cavity along with the rosemary. Close the legs with kitchen twine or those kick-ass silicone rubber bands. Rub the chicken with about 2 Tbsp of butter.

Stick the chicken in the hot oven for 30 minutes.

Peel and chop up your onion and break apart your garlic head keeping the skins intact.

Once the first 30 minutes has gone by, pull the chicken out of the oven and remove it from the baking dish. Drop the oven to 350 F. Add the stock, chopped onion and separated garlic. Stick the chicken back on top of that stuff and put it back in the oven basting every 20 - 30 minutes until it hits 165 F. Remove and let sit for 15 - 20 minutes before carving.

After you've picked the carcass clean, you can toss it in the freezer in a ziploc until you are ready to make the stock.

Put the carcass in a big pot...5 quarts or so...and cover with water. Add whatever veg is almost rotting in your fridge. Carrots, celery, parsnips, onion, peppers, broccoli, whatever you got. Add a pinch of salt, a handful of peppercorns, a couple of bay leaves, bring to a boil, turn down and let simmer uncovered for about six hours. Run to the hardware store and pick up a case of Bell's mason jars. I get the pint sized because that's usually how much I need down the road. Once it's done, strain it from the solid bits, skim any fat off the top and pour it into the jars. Don't fill it all the way to the top...leave about an inch...let cool to room temp and then stick them in that spare Sub Zero you got out in the garage.