Roast Chicken

On Saturday evening we roasted the chicken that we brought home from Rumbleway. Big J and I agreed that it was very juicy and flavorful. We have leftovers that need to be frozen from that meal and just this morning I used the carcass and a handful of veggies to make stock. It is already frozen and waiting for the next soup night. Having your own stock on hand is a great money saver and ensures that they base of your soups is not too salty or riddled with MSG. This is what I did:

Place chicken parts (bones, skin, etc) in a pot and cover with cold water.
Toss in a chopped onion, carrot, celery and parsley. I had spring onion tops and celery tops frozen from the fall. I didn’t have carrot this time so I added a bit of frozen cabbage from the fall as well.
Add 1/4 t of pepper and 1/2 t salt
Cover, bring to a boil, remove lid and simmer uncovered for 4 hours.
The amount of water will be reduced by about half. You will need to turn the temp down if the pot starts to boil and add water if it gets too low.
After 4 hours, remove from heat, let cool and strain into freezer containers.
I got about 4 c. You dilute as necessary for whatever recipes you are cooking up.

I also picked up the book Dishing Up Maryland: 150 Recipes from the Alleghenies to the Chesapeake Bay. It features many of the farms that I frequent and lots of great recipes organized by season. Also included are stories about local farms, farmers and restaurants. A great addition to your cookbook library if you are looking for something new.