My Fresh Chicken Stock

My Fresh Chicken Stock 


This is the one of the best stocks I make myself, mostly because it is dead easy to make and if you
roast a chicken for dinner , then you have the main ingredient for stock sitting there all
ready. You will also need two or three hours for it to cook and an extractor fan!
So take a big saucepan and put your chicken carcass in it. Now peel an onion and put
it in whole along with 6 or 7 peppercorns, a few bay leaves, and some fresh herbs –
parsley, thyme, whatever you have in the garden or on the windowsill. Add some more
vegetables, again left whole, a tomato or two, a leek or some celery. You can use whichever vegetables you have, I have been known to use left over mushroom stalks. The taste will vary but experiment and find out what you like.
Put in enough water to cover it all, bring to the boil, then turn the heat right down and
try to get it so the stock just slowly and gently bubbles. Now leave it for at least two hours to cook, adding a little water if it gets too low. You’ll know it is ready because the water will have become a softly savoury stock that you could just drink as it is, but it will not be as strong or as salty as a commercially made product.
Finally put a sieve over a bowl or jug and pour it all through to separate the clear stock off. Throw away all the bits, put the stock in the fridge and next day it will have set to a soft jelly and the fat will be set on top. You can scrape it off if you like.