Well, it's Autumn again and time to start thinking about healthy, hearty recipes for those colder days!
We love soup and one of my favourite cook books is "12 months of Monastery Soups", it is inspiring, to say the least! The base for most soups is chicken stock. Yes, you can buy it ready made in the supermarket but the benefits of home made stock are well worth the effort of producing your own! It isn't difficult, just time consuming, as you need to watch it over a four hour period. Here is my favourite recipe for home made stock. I like this because the chicken and vegetables are roasted in the oven before soaking, this makes a particularly tasty stock!

Rich Chicken Stock Recipe

November 19th, 2007 by alice Tags: , ,

INGREDIENTS

  1. 4lbschicken bones, chopped
  2. 3largeSpanish onions, quartered(skin left on)
  3. 1/2headcelery, coarsely chopped
  4. 2largecarrots, coarsely chopped
  5. 3tablespoonsolive oil
  6. salt & freshly ground black pepper
  7. 2bay leaves
  8. 1/4cuppeppercorns
  9. 1bunchfresh flat-leaf parsley, remove stems
  10. 6sprigsfresh thyme

DIRECTIONS

  1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Combine chicken bones, onions, celery, and carrots in a large roasting pan; toss with oil and season lightly with salt and pepper.
  3. Roast until the bones and vegetables
     are a rich golden brown, about 30 to 40 minutes.
  4. Transfer the bones and vegetables to a large stockpot, add 12 cups cold water, and the remaining ingredients and bring to a boil over high heat.
  5. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 4 hours, skimming the scum that rises to the top with a ladle every 20 minutes.
  6. Remove from the heat and strain through a mesh strainer into a clean pot.
  7. Place back on the stove over high heat and cook until reduced by half.
  8. Use immediately or let cool to room temperature, cover, and refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.