Recipes
Chicken Stock with Nettles
- 1 chicken carcass (from a 3 to 4 pound organic chicken)
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 head garlic, cut in half cross-wise
- 1 to 2 leeks, rinsed well and chopped
- 4 stalks celery, chopped
- 2 carrots, chopped
- 1/2 bunch parsley
- 2 cups fresh nettle leaves
- few sprigs fresh rosemary and thyme
- 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
- 2 to 3 teaspoons Herbamare or sea salt
- 1 to 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
- 12 cups filtered water
Every time we roast a chicken I make stock, not on the same day, but a day or two later. The stock in these photos was made from a locally raised, pastured organic chicken that was rubbed with chipotle chili powder and salt, then roasted. The resulting stock was rich and full-bodied with a hint of spice. I pour my stock into glass mason jars and freeze the majority of it right away. This way my freezer is continually stocked with fresh, homemade, organic stock. Use stock to make soups and stews, or to cook whole grains. You can add it to mashed potatoes, sauces, or basically anywhere a liquid is needed for a savory dish. If I am making a soup and need stock (and I have not thought about thawing it out) I will take a jar out of the freezer and put it into a pot of hot water. By the time my vegetables are chopped and I am ready to add some liquid, enough of it will be thawed out to use in my soup. For this reason I always use wide-mouthed glass pint or quart jars. The vinegar in the stock is needed to help extract the minerals from the chicken bones. The stock won’t have a vinegary taste as long as you don’t add too much.
Contributed by: Alyssa Segersten
Source: www.nourishingmeals.com
Serves 4-6
Preparation
- Add all ingredients to an 8-quart stockpot. Gently bring to a simmer. Make sure that it is a gentle simmer, on low or medium-low heat. Cook, covered, for 3 to 6 hours. The longer cooking times will extract more nutrients and produce a richer flavored stock.
- Place a large colander over another large pot or bowl. I use an 8-cup pyrex liquid glass measure because it is easy to pour from. I only pour half of the stock through at once to make pouring into the jars easier. If using a bowl or another pot, use a ladle to put the stock into jars. Once all of the jars are filled, let them cool for about 30 minutes, then cover them and freeze (label with date if needed) or refrigerate until ready to use.
