I’ll admit it, I was not super excited to see the snow this week.

I love Christmas and snow certainly makes thing pretty, but I’ll be honest, I could really, really do without the cold.  See, I’m one of those the thermostat is set to 68 and I still have on slippers, 3 sweaters, mittens, a scarf, and a parka all winter long people.  And that’s just inside. I seem to always be cold.

Photo by Gudlyf

Now I’ve found a few resources to help me combat the winter chill.  There’s tea, blankets, and personal favorite, snuggling.  But if I really want to warm up from the inside out, I go straight to soup.

This works out really well for me, because I love making soup too.  In those moments of CSA share overwhelm, when I’m up to my eyeballs in veggies with no way out, I toss soup together, and often pack away a stash for colder months as well.

Photo by www.WorthTheWhisk.com

When I first started eating locally and making soups, I relied heavily on Better Than Bouillon (still a staple in a pinch) and vegan option Rapunzel vegetable bouillon.  However, when I started taking a real interest in making sure my meat was local as well as my veggies, I started making my own stock.

I’m going to be honest, I started doing this for the sole reason that local meat, good clean meat, is more expensive than I was accustomed to.   And as someone who doesn’t have an unlimited food budget, but is dedicated to be as local as possible, I needed to get every last morsel (and penny) out of a meat purchase.

Once I started regularly making stock, I noticed something else: Homemade stock is delicious.  Most stock recipes are day long affairs, I prefer a quick stock, like in the recipe I chose here.

1 tablespoon oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
10 sprigs parsley
10 sprigs time
2 bay leaves
2 cloves garlic
4 pounds chicken legs, wings, and necks
2 quarts cold water

Heat the oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Add the onion; sauté until colored and softened slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and cook until the celery has begun to get tender, another 3-4 minutes. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.

Add half of the chicken pieces to the pot; sauté both sides until lightly browned, 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer the cooked chicken to the bowl with the vegetable mixture. Sauté the remaining chicken pieces. Return the vegetables and chicken pieces to the pot. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook until the chicken releases its juices, about 20 minutes.

Increase the heat to high; add the water, salt, and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then cover and barely simmer until the stock is rich and flavorful, about 30 minutes.

Strain the stock and discard the solids. Cool the stock, then place in a container in the fridge until cold, and all the fat rises to the top and sets. Skim off the fat, then you may keep the stock in the fridge for up to 2 days, and in the freezer for 6 months.

Makes about 2 quarts of stock.

I like to make stock ahead and store bags in the freezer, pulling them out for use as needed.

You’ll want to be sure to stop by the Cupboard tomorrow, Saturday between 1 and 4 pm.  Chef Happy, aka Scott Hapner, and I are going to be talking all things chicken.  Scott’s talking roasting whole birds and a delicious chicken salad.  I’ll be covering the soup end of the bird, making the stock from above, and then turning that into a tasty chicken noodle courtesy of an Alton Brown recipe, found next.

Chicken Noodle Soup
Adapted from Alton Brown

4 cups chicken stock
1 diced onion
3 Ribs diced celery
1 tablespoon minced garlic
2 ounces dried egg noodles
2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh parsley leaves

Directions

Bring stock to boil for 2 minutes in a large, non-reactive stockpot with lid on, over high heat. Add onion, celery, and garlic. Lower heat and simmer for 2 minutes. Add noodles and cook 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and add herbs and salt and pepper, to taste. Serve with lemon halves and add squeeze of lemon juice if desired.

Soups on!  We look forward to seeing you Saturday!