Making your own chicken stock is not as hard as it is made out to be, AND with a pressure cooker, it is even easier, and faster.  I like using the backs, as it makes a more full-bodied chicken stock (the good stuff from inside the bones!!!).  I also prefer to use uncooked chicken parts, rather than the remains of roasted birds, as I think the flavour is cleaner and brighter.  Using the pressure cooker also results in a really clear stock .

I <3 my pressure cooker!

So, in 6 easy steps… in the time it takes to make dinner…

1. Unwrap the chicken parts
2. Toss the parts in the pressure cooker
3. Toss in some flavourful bits.  For this batch, I used 2 carrots, 1 onion, and the tops off of a fennel bulb that was being roasted for dinner.  Salt and pepper and 1 bay leaf.
4. Cover with water, put the lid on the pressure cooker and bring up to heat.
5. Cook at pressure for 30 minutes — release pressure either by letting it sit for 10 minutes or so, or run under cold water if you are in a hurry.
6. Strain the bits out in a colander, cool in the fridge and skim off the fat.

The result:  13 1/2 cups of chicken stock, 1/2 of which  went into the freezer and 1/2 into the fridge.

Benefits:  way better tasting than canned or tetra pack chicken stock; way cheaper (this batch cost <$2.00 total); total control over things like salt and fat content.

Give it a try sometime.  Dinner took about 1 hour in total to make (roasted in the oven), and the stock was all done except the refrigerating by the time dinner was ready.  I used some of this to make cauliflower soup the following day.

Caramelized Onion, Celeriac and Potato Soup

Caramelized Onion, Celeriac and Potato Soup

3 cups onions, sliced thin from pole to pole
5-6 medium garlic cloves
1/2 cup sherry
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon celery seed
4 cups celeriac, diced
3 cups potatoes, diced
8 cups stock

Saute the onions over medium-high heat, reduce heat and cook until caramelized.  Add minced garlic and cook for 1 more minute.  Deglaze with sherry, and cook until sherry is reduced by 1/2.

Add celery seed, celeriac, potatoes and stock, and bring to a simmmer.  Cook until celeriac and potatoes are very tender.  Remove from heat and puree.  Garnish with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar and olive oil.

To go with the soup, I made an Olive-Feta-Shallot roll using the Buttermilk bread dough from the Artisan Bread book.

I think i like this dough even better than the enriched sandwich dough, so will probably have a batch of this going every other dough cycle.  The Feta cheese was pre-crumbled with garlic and herbs, the olives were marinated, and the shallots just sliced thin and sprinkled on the dough raw — roll everything up, and let the dough rest for about 1 hour before baking — voila — tasty bread to go with the soup.

Finally, I leave you with my attempt to turn a humble muffin into food p*rn!

Bran muffin