Chicken stock/vegetable broth

A disclaimer: last week, my beloved camera up and died on me.  It had a good long life--it saw me through three cherished years of college, which is basically a lifetime for any digital doohickey these days.  I am not devastated to see it go.

However, its passing means that I have no photo for my post this week.  Which is fine, because my chosen subject is not glamorous or photogenic.  It is, however, delicious and versatile--two of my favorite words when it comes to food.

Onward!

Summer is gently giving way to fall out here in California, and that means it's time to start thinking about cold-weather meals.  Granted, our autumns and winters can't hold a candle to Amherst's, misery-wise; there's no snow or stinging wind--only months of rain--and our idea of a bitter chill is about 40 degrees.  But still, there are plenty of days when I find myself shivering and drenched, with cold gnawing at my cheeks.  And at times like these, I think of soup.

There are two basic flavored soup bases: stock, which consists of meat, bones, and aromatics simmered in water; and broth, which is essentially the same thing without the bones.  (Water can also make a great soup, lighter but less complex than a broth-based one.  Anyone who still has access to fresh summer vegetables--corn, tomatoes, zucchini--would do well to simmer them in a stockpot for a while with onion, celery, carrot, and salted water to cover.  Add some small pasta and white beans, and you've got a killer minestrone.)

Anyway.  Making your own stock or broth takes time, and is only really done properly in large batches, but the results are leaps and bounds better than anything you might squeeze from a cardboard carton or pour from a can.  Leftovers also freeze spectacularly easily, keep for months in the freezer, and can be reheated directly from frozen.  Here, I take cues from my mother, who introduced me to both homemade chicken stock and vegetable broth.

The chicken stock recipe I've included here was the base of almost every bowl of matzo ball soup I ate growing up.  It's a Jewish child's dream: simple, rich, meaty and smooth, the perfect base for a flotilla of fluffy white orbs.  Even though she's now a vegetarian, my mother will still make an enormous batch of stock to soothe us kids through the opening salvos of cold and flu season.  It's a great base for soups, stews, sauces and more; it's also inordinately comforting on its own.  Keep in mind, though, that this broth is somewhat labor-intensive, and when refrigerated, it forms a skin that needs to be removed before reheating.

The vegetable broth was one my mother found when our family was first experimenting with vegetarianism, in what I believe was a Vegetarians Digest cookbook.  It's far and away the best vegetable broth I've ever tasted--fragrant and deeply savory, with a dark, almost ruddy color.  I wouldn't use this broth in particularly delicate soups or sauces, but for earthy fall and winter dishes, it's a delight.  As a bonus, it requires almost no effort to make, and because it has no fat whatsoever, it does not need to be skimmed.

The aromatics in these recipes can obviously be substituted or omitted, if desired.  One favorite tweak of mine is to replace the parsnips with chayote squash, an ingredient I was introduced to on my first trip to Latin America.  The flavor is entirely different--sweeter and a little more herbal--but I almost like it better.  In any case, make sure to leave all solids in big chunks, so the stock or broth can be easily strained away at the end.

Chicken Broth Like Mom Used to Make (makes about 4 quarts)
1 (3.5 to 4-pound) chicken, cut into pieces
2-3 large celery stalks (with leaves), roughly chopped
1 large carrot, roughly chopped
1 large white or yellow onion, roughly chopped
1 large parsnip OR 1-2 chayote squash, roughly chopped
1 large bunch parsley, leaves and stems, roughly chopped
4 quarts water, approximately--enough to cover everything in the pot
10-12 whole black peppercorns
2-3 bay leaves
Kosher salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil.  Using a slotted spoon, skim off the foamy stuff that appears on the surface.  Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 2 hours; if additional foam appears, skim it off as you did before.  Turn off the heat; take the chicken pieces out of the pot, remove the meat from the bones, and discard the bones and skins.

If you're using this on its own as chicken soup, leave in the aromatics and shred some of the chicken meat back into the stock.  If using as the base for something else, strain out and discard the solids, and reserve the cooked chicken meat for another use.  In either case, refrigerate overnight if not using immediately, and skim off the fat that rises to the surface before reheating.  Refrigerate or freeze until needed.

Savory Vegetable Broth (makes about 3 quarts)
1 large carrot, cut in half
4 stalks celery (with leaves), cut in half
1 large red, white, or yellow onion, washed and halved but not peeled
1 medium parsnip OR 1 chayote squash, cut in half
16 oz. frozen peas
1 bunch fresh parsley stems (you could include the leaves too, I suppose)
1 beet, peeled but left whole
1/4 head red or green cabbage, roughly chopped
6 whole allspice
8-10 whole black peppercorns
2 bay leaves
3 quarts cold water
Salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large stockpot and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat to low, cover, and simmer 2-3 hours, or until the broth is richly colored and fragrant.  Strain out and discard the solids.  Refrigerate or freeze until needed.