Chicken Stock

Chicken Stock.  I make this at least once a week, freezing it into 1 cup portions and using it as needed for soups, sauces, gravies, you name it.

It is true that it is magic... no.... seriously.

The MOST important part of the stock is without a doubt the wondrously healing bones and cartilage. If cooked properly, they release a healthy dose of chondroitin and glucosamine in the form of gelatin.  Those with joint problems will recognize those two big fancy words right away, they treat joint pain.... ironic that the source for relief and prevention of such horrible things as arthritis is actually consuming, well, bones and joints!

Gelatin also is magic in and unto itself.  It acts as an aid to digestion and has been used successfully in the treatment of many intestinal disorders.

And besides just the magic from the chicken, just look at all the vitmains and minerals those veggies are ready to offer up.

It is so easy, there really is no reason NOT to do this at home.  ALL of this is lost when you use boxed, canned, and worst of all, bouillon.  At that point it simply becomes a flavoring.

What you see in the picture up there is exactly what I put in the pot.  Varying a bit with the parsley, sometimes I'll add cilantro instead for a different flavor, sometimes a sprig of thyme, sometimes nothing at all.

ALWAYS KEEP YOU CHICKEN CARCASS!!

So this is the list-
Chicken carcass, cooked or uncooked, this can be just parts like legs and wings, sometimes I'll even go to the butcher and just ask for 4 chicken backs and / or a lb of chicken feet, which are very rich in cartilage.

2 carrots, broken in half
2 celery sticks, broken in half
1 half onion, skin on (dont worry, you're gonna strain everything)
3 cloves garlic, crushed to release the oils, skins removed
2 bay leaves
2 T whole peppercorns

Please note I do not salt my stock. I do that when I am using it for whatever dish I am using it as an ingredient for. :)

So throw all that shit into a big ol' pot, and fill with water until it just covers everything.  Set on the stove at low.... THIS IS IMPORTANT!  Boiling your stock with break down the gelatin into nothingness.... defeating the entire purpose.  So keep it at a nice gentle simmer.  And I mean.... hot enough that there is just a bubble coming up every now and then. Let it bubble away for 4-6 hours to properly break down the bones and good bits.

Check this video at about 1:20 to see how the boil should look.

Once the stock is ready, I place a large mesh strainer over a large metal bowl, and just dump all that brothy goodness straight in.  I usually let it sit for about 10 minutes to let any remaining liquid to drip into the stock bowl.  From there I allow it to sit and cool, sometimes putting it into a sink full of ice, but thats only if I am rushing, and usually, I am not :)  Once cooled, divide into individual containers and voila!

Farm Fresh Breakfast

This mornings breakfast! I scored big time at the farmers market! Found a local farmer who has pasture raised cattle and sells all sorts of grass fed beef -Deep Roots Meats. I also found someone selling raw dairy and fresh eggs. So for breakfast was bread I baked this morning with raw butter smeared all over, farm fresh eggs, and beef bacon! Who'da thunk! Beef bacon! Nice alternative for folks who can't eat pork! And it was gooood.Beef bacon comes from the belly, or "navel", of the cow, just like pork bacon does. :) It was salt cured... really awesome.. at first you get the salt and fat and it seems like bacon, then you're suddenly hit with this intense beef flavor. Its like steak & eggs meets bacon & eggs! Epic breakfast for sure.

Turtle Soup

Living in Florida opens up some great adventerous seafood eating opportunities, and we just happen to live very close to an awesome little fish market that specializes in local catches. Every visit there are different offerings from the waters of Florida. From the big prize fish like tuna and swordfish, to less known local river fish and fresh specialties like alligator and frog.

I've seen turtle at this particular market before, but only frozen, and I am hesitant to buy frozen seafood with the sea at my doorstep. However today they had fresh soft shell turtle, and I didn't hesitate to grab some!

Now before anyone freaks out and says, ZOMG cute turtle! Or ONOES they are protected! First, they're not. And trust me, these guys aren't any cuter than an alligator -and living right beside them, they have to hold their own- and are definitely not sweet little gentle slow pokey creatures, they can actually be quite aggressive. Combine that with their great abundance in just about every single pond and river you can find (which is a lot), they are perfectly legal to hunt in Florida, during their season of course.

Turtle isn't as wild and exotic as you might think. The flavor is quite nondescript, and quickly picks up the flavors of what it is being cooked with. Which is probably why the most popular recipe for turtle soup is very robust with ingredients like cayenne, tomato, lemon and Worcestershire Sauce.

Ingredients
For the Stock:
1 lb turtle (soft shell, or snapping turtle), bone in
4 cups water
1 onion, quartered
2 Tablespoons whole peppercorns

For the Soup
Meat separated from the stock, bones removed and cut into small pieces
Stock
1 quarter onion
2 Tablespoons tomato puree
1 half lemon
1 Tablespoon Cayenne
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 Tablespoon Flour
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
Ground pepper and salt to taste

In a pot bring water to a boil and add cleaned turtle meat, 3/4 onion and peppercorns.
Let simmer slowly until the meat begins falling off the bones, approx 2 hours.
Strain Stock and return it to the pot. Remove turtle meat from the bones and cut into small pieces, then return the meat to the stock, keeping on a low simmer.

Dice remaining quarter onion and sautee in olive oil in a pan until translucent. Add flour and stir until thickened into a roux. Add a ladle of the turtle stock and stir until thickened. Stir in tomato paste. Pour contents of pan into the stock pot and stir until well blended. Add parsley, cilantro, cayenne, juice from the lemon, Worcestershire Sauce, pepper and salt to taste.

Serve and enjoy what was once a delicacy to Presidents and across Victorian England. Now its simply a local pleasure.

Braised Short Ribs

This flavor is so sweet and tangy its almost BBQ-y.  I've always had an aversion to adding tomato to anything but chili, because I don't know why.  I think this recipe has changed my tune on that.


I served this up with some parboiled brussel sprouts, finished in a pan with crispy bacon.


Ingredients
1 lb short ribs
2 carrots, minced
1 stalk celery minced
2 cloves garlic minced
1/4 sweet onion, minced
1 small can tomato paste
2 cups red wine
2 strips bacon, chopped


Method
Fry bacon in a deep pot, preferably a French oven. Add veggies and saute until onions become transluscent. Add tomato paste and let it sweat for a few minutes, then fold into the veggies.  Add a bit of wine to deglaze, stirring often, then add the rest of the wine.  Add the short ribs, coating in the mixture, reduce heat and let simmer gently for approx 4 hours, turning the ribs now and then.  Enjoy!