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Culinary Corner

Great soup starts with homemade stock

A good soup is a wonderful thing, but a great soup is even better, and that requires making your own stock.

I know, I know, it seems daunting and time consuming to go to all that trouble for a pot of soup. But for the most special soups in your repertoire, making your own stock guarantees you the best flavor and the highest wow factor.

I use Ina Garten’s recipe for homemade chicken stock and stash it in the freezer for my big soup making days. It makes everything from leek-and-potato soup to minestrone taste like not just soup, but luxury.

Ingredients:

2 5-pound roasting chickens

2 large yellow onions, unpeeled and quartered

5 carrots, unpeeled and quartered

3 celery stalks, cut in thirds

15 sprigs fresh parsley

10 sprigs fresh thyme

20 sprigs fresh dill

1 head garlic, unpeeled and cut in half

2 tablespoons kosher salt

2 teaspoons whole black peppercorns

Method:

Place all the ingredients in a large stock pot. Add five quarts of water and bring to a boil over high heat. Skim any foam that rises to the surface. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered for four hours.

Strain the entire contents through a colander, discarding the solids. (Yes, even the chicken, because it’s given up all its flavor to the soup). When the stock is cold, skim off the surface fat, pour into quart containers and freeze.



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