Recipes by their Ingredients

stock

  • Chicken Stock

    Chicken Stock
    Chicken Stock
    (makes about 1 gallon)
    Bones from about 4-5 chickens, including trimmings OR 1½ lbs chicken wings
    2 red onions, halved
    3 carrots, washed
    3 stalks celery, no leaves
    ¾ tblsp black peppercorns (25)
    1 tsp salt
    1 Bay leaf
    OPTIONAL: parsley stems (8-10)
    NOTES: After cooling you can freeze up to a month. And you could even freeze it in ice cube trays for a pre-portioned stock fix! Just store in a freezer baggie after they've been frozen.

    Instructions

    Place all ingredients in a large stock pot, and cover with "cold" water. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and skim off the fat and impurities that have risen to the top.

    Keep simmering for at least 4 hours. (if the water level becomes too low add more water)

    Periodically skim off the impurities and fat. Taste the stock. Is it chickeny? If not then simmer longer! Strain through a fine sieve (china cap), cool the stock down gradually! This means do not put it directly into the fridge for cooling. If possible, take the pot off the stove for a few hours and when you do refrigerate your stock leave a lid on top, slightly ajar.

    When you are ready to use your stock, skim the fat off the top and discard (or use to make 'Schmaltz' - rendered chicken fat used in frying and other things like Jewish cuisine).

    If your stock was extremely well made it will be of a jello like consistency after refrigeration. Can you say Risotto?!!

     

  • Gravy

    Gravy Thanksgiving Style
    Gravy, Thanksgiving Style
    (Serves 15)


    1 cup pan drippings (from the turkey), optional
    3 cups chicken stock or beef stock
    ½ tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
    ½ tsp onion powder
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1 tblsp cornstarch
    1 tblsp water


    NOTES: Typically I use "Better then Bouillon" for my chicken, beef, vegetable and lobster stock needs (so much flavor, no MSG). Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated paste made of cooked meat or vegetables that you dilute with hot water in whatever quantity you'd like, and it can stay good for months in the fridge.
     

    Skim the fat off of the turkey drippings, if your using them. In a medium pot, Warm up the drippings and the stock (or just the stock). Then add the spices.
    In a small bowl or measuring cup mix the water and cornstarch together (this is called a slurry), now add in a bubbling tablespoon of the hot gravy to the slurry (this is called tempering) mix it and quickly add it back in to the gravy, stirring the gravy well increase the heat to a simmer, the gravy will thicken fairly quickly. Once it thickens to the your preferred thickness bring the heat down or turn off the heat completely.

    If the gravy is still not thick enough after 2 minutes, you can create another slurry and after tempering it stir it into the gravy and bring the heat back up top a simmer.

    If the gravy is too thick you can add more stock to it to thin it out.

    So good over mashed potatoes, turkey and stuffing!. Enjoy!

  • Gravy, Thanksgiving Style

    Gravy Thanksgiving Style
    Gravy, Thanksgiving Style
    (Serves 15)


    1 cup pan drippings (from the turkey)
    3 cups chicken stock or beef stock
    ½ tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Seasoning
    ½ tsp onion powder
    1 tsp garlic powder
    1 tblsp cornstarch
    1 tblsp water


    NOTES: Typically I use "Better then Bouillon" for my chicken, beef, vegetable and lobster stock needs (so much flavor, no MSG). Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated paste made of cooked meat or vegetables that you dilute with hot water in whatever quantity you'd like, and it can stay good for months in the fridge.
     

    Skim the fat off of the turkey drippings. In a medium pot, Warm up the drippings and the stock.
    Then add the spices.
    In a small bowl or measuring cup mix the water and cornstarch together (this is called a slurry), now add in a bubbling tablespoon of the hot gravy to the slurry (this is called tempering) mix it and quickly add it back in to the gravy, stirring the gravy well increase the heat to a simmer, the gravy will thicken fairly quickly. Once it thickens to the your preferred thickness bring the heat down or turn off the heat completely.

    If the gravy is still not thick enough after 2 minutes, you can create another slurry and after tempering it stir it into the gravy and bring the heat back up top a simmer.

    If the gravy is too thick you can add more stock to it to thin it out.

    So good over mashed potatoes, turkey and stuffing!. Enjoy!

  • Shepherd's Pie

    Shepherds Pie
    Shepherd's Pie
    (Serves 4-6)


    1 lb of lamb, cubed
    1 tblsp vegetable oil
    1 large carrot, cut into small cubes
    1/3 cup peas
    1+¾ cups lamb stock
    1 tsp Tony Chachere's Creole Spice
    ½ tsp garlic powder
    1/2 tsp ground black pepper
    1 tblsp plus a 1 tsp cornstarch
    3 large russet potatoes, skinned and cubed
    4 tblsp unsalted butter
    2-3 tsp salt
    ¾ tsp ground black pepper
    1/3 cup cream, half n' half or milk
    1 tsp unsalted butter


    NOTES:I substituted the lamb stock for half chicken and half beef stock using Better Than Bouillon brand. If you don't have Tony's Creole Spice you can substitute with equal portions of cayenne pepper, garlic powder, black pepper and a pinch of salt. You can substitute ground beef for lamb in this recipe, you won't need to simmer the ground beef for but 3-5 minutes after you sear it, and you should then call the dish a Cottage Pie and not a Shepherd's Pie. If you want to feed more with this recipe you could double the potatoes to 6 and bake in a 9 x 12 inch pan.!

    Boil the carrot cubes until just about tender as they'll finish cooking in the completed pie. Drain and set aside.

    In hot very hot skillet, add 1 tblsp high heat oil like vegetable, canola or peanut oil. Add half the lamb and sear on 2 sides then remove to a small bowl. Repeat the other half of lamb cubes.

    Once the lamb is seared and set aside, as well as your carrots and peas, get a large sauce pot filled with water on the stove on high heat, add in the potato cubes and bring to a boil, in about 10 minutes the potatoes will be fork tender, check at the 8, 10, 12 minute mark so you don't end up with potato mush! Once they are fork tender, drain off the water completely and then put the potatoes back into the pot, add the 4 tblsp unsalted butter, ¾ of the cream or milk, the ½ tsp ground black pepper and 2 tsp of salt to start with. Mash the potatoes with butter and stuff, until they seem fairly smooth and smashed, remove the smasher and use a large spoon to stir it all togather adding more cream or milk if they are too stiff. Taste for salt content and add more if needed. Set potatoes aside.

    Pre-heat your oven to 400°F.

    In the same pan as you seared the lamb, heat up the lamb stock or whatever stock you are using. Add the 1 tsp of Tony's Chachere's Creole spice, garlic powder and 1/2 tsp black pepper and bring to a simmer. Now add the lamb cubes and juice from the lamb. Bring the stock back up to a fast simmer for 15-20 minutes or until the lamb is as tender as you like, in the last 5 minutes add the carrots and peas to the lamb and stock.

    Now in a small bowl or cup mix the cornstarch with about 6-8 tsps of the hot stock only (no peas or lamb!). Once your cornstarch slurry is mixed well, turn the heat down to low and mix in ¾ of the slurry quickly into the lab, peas and stock and bring the mixture to a simmer. Keep stirring at this point, after 20-30 seconds the cornstarch slurry should have thickened up the stock, if you think it needs to thicken more add the rest of the slurry in, stirring quickly as you add it. You should now have a great gravy based lamb and vegetables for the bottom portion of your shepherd's pie.

    Let's put it all together, in a 9 x 9" pan, add the lamb/gravy/vegi mix first. Making sure its evenly distributed, now add the mashed potatoes a small scoop at a time, first at the corners, then the center, then fill in the bare spots, grap a spatula and lightly smooth the potatoes over the entire top so you can't see any gravy/lamb mix. I then dragged a fork lightly over the top to give the top of the potatoes a chance to crisp up even more in the oven. Lastly add the tsp of butter to the center of the pie and place in your pre-heated oven at 400°F. for 20-25 minutes. I then moved it to my broiler for about 1-2 minutes to get that golden brown rows from raking the top with the fork! Remember, if you are bringing it out of the fridge, let it sit out at room temperature for 20 minutes before putting in the oven.

  • Veal Stock

    Veal Stock

    Veal Stock
    Veal Stock
    (makes 1 quart)
    3¼ lbs veal bones, chopped
    ½ calves foot, split lengthwise, chopped and blanched
    2 carrots, cut into rounds
    2/3 cup onion, coarsely chopped
    1 cup dry white wine
    1 celery stalk, sliced thin
    6 tomatoes, peeled, seeded and chopped
    2 cups mushrooms, thinly sliced
    2 garlic cloves
    1 bouquet garni (include a sprig of tarragon)
    NOTES: Keeps several weeks refrigerated.

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 425ºF.
    Put the bones and calves foot into a roasting pan and brown in the oven, occasionally turning.

    When they are browned, add the carrots and onions and cook for 5 minutes longer.
    Remove the bones and the vegetables to a large sauce pan/pot and then pour off the fat from the roasting pan.

    De-glaze the roasting pan using the white wine, making sure to get all the tasty stuck bits.
    Set it over high heat and reduce by half.

    Pour it into the sauce pan/pot with the bones and vegetables and add 3 quarts of cold water.

    Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Skimming the surface occasionally to remove fat and impurities.

    Now add all the other ingredients and simmer uncovered for 2½ hours (skimming as needed).
    Strain through a fine mesh sieve (conical is best) and allow to cool. (an ice bath would be ideal)

    Turn the Veal Stock into a Demi-Glace...
    Reduce by 1/3
    Turn the Veal Stock into a Glace...
    Reduce by 1/2