Chicken Stock
Good quality chicken stock makes everything better, from risottos to soups to gravy – everything a FatSteak clubber loves! Here’s how I make mine which I use as a base for other stocks (such as beef).
At the end of this there is a bonus recipe using the stock in a German-style fondue.
Step 1 - Blanch the chicken
Wash the chicken wings then bring them to the boil in 2 litres of fresh water
Discard the now scummy water and put 2.5 litres of fresh water in with the blanched wings
Step 2 - Cook down the stock
Throw in the vegetables (roughly chopped) and simmer for an hour or two
#TIP: After an hour pull out the wings, pick the meat (treat yourself) and throw the bones back in
Step 3 - Strain
Simply strain the finished stock through a sieve
#Tip: For a clearer stock sieve through a damp muslin
Bonus recipe! German style fondue
A great use for tasty stock is for a German style fondue.
No cheese, no oil – simply have the bubbling stock in the fondue pot and dip in thin cut pieces of rump steak, chicken or small meatballs to cook them to tender perfection.
It is a great way to eat socially and a very low fat way to satisfy yourself with meat. I recommend hot sauce and flavoured salts to dip the cooked pieces in and maybe a few vegetables for balance (although these take longer to cook in the fondue).
Chicken stock
Makes 2 litres
5 – 6 chicken wings
1 leek
2 red onions
3 sticks celery
1 large carrot
I trained as a chemist, and now I don't work in a laboratory anymore, I apply that knowledge to my cooking. I do love my gadgets, experimenting and using an understanding of the principles of chemistry to make the very best food. I seem to cook more and more as a hobby now I don't wear a lab coat, and still dream of retiring to run a small restaurant somewhere quiet.
My confidence really came when I taught myself to cook Italian and found I was pretty good at making pasta. I was married to a vegetarian then and it was the one cuisine where I didn't miss meat. I'm big on meat usually and passionate about great ingredients and doing things from scratch yourself. I did a butchery course last year and intend to learn all the skills needed to butcher and make use of a whole pig nose to tail.
Eating out is also a passion, and I particularly like to go for things I don't think I could do at home easily or better! Mind you, I do love a pie.
