Babet’s Feast
Ok, Babet is long gone but I couldn’t resist a not very clever use of the storm’s name in this letter. She has left chaos and some misery in her wake and chaos and misery can be made a little, just a very little, better with chicken soup where it can be found. And chicken soup starts with chicken stock.
I am sitting in my kitchen. The fire is lit and glowing gently. I have tamped it down as far as it will go so it doesn’t burn through an entire autumn’s worth of logs on a day. There is the hum of the washing machine and the gentle ffft Fttt fttt of the induction hob as it heats the pan which heats the water which heats the chicken bones to create that miracle of alchemy, chicken stock. I am home.
I was away. I joined a writing course at Ty Newydd (ti -nowith) in Criccieth (crikith) up in the north of Wales - Word of Mouth, food, family and feelings run by the marvellous Ella Risbridger and Kate Young, whose writing I had genned up on in the run up and totally loved and identified with. I had reached as far as Machynlleth (I won’t attempt pronunciation as it just sounds rude), about mid way and nearly turned back. Nerves were making my heart pound so I figured soup was called for. You know when you just need some hot soup? Any soup, doesn’t have to be chicken. It hits the nostrils and unclogs the mind, hits the taste buds and fills the mouth a rich umami flavour and hits the tummy like an interior hot water water bottle. I tried some in a sweet looking, scruffy place staffed by women of my age, all frazzled and frowning, but hey, I’ve been there and still made good soup, so what the hell. The ‘soup’ was just tinned tomatoes and under cooked lentils (how do you even??) so I left, didn’t say a word, couldn’t without crying, just left.
The next place was a lovely cafe which I had missed on first look and the soup definitely sounded better (squash, coconut & ginger), but was distinctly meh. How can that happen? Soup is the stuff of life, next to bread. Every culture has a soup in their DNA - why do we do it so badly, so often in the British Isles? Baffled but lack of sustenance not withstanding, my courage returned.
Back in the car and on the road the mountains made me carry on, because it’s very hard to stay angst ridden or be anything other than in awe and joy struck when surrounded by such natural and massive beauty. I asked myself what was the worst that could happen (everyone else would be 25 and a total genius, my writing would be shown up for what it is, i.e. rubbish, I would be asked to leave etc) and decided it was worth the risk.
And it was. But that is not what this letter/stack/what will you is about because I am still processing all that I learned and the joys of being with a bunch of strangers, puttering about in a big house in North Wales in our slippers, hugging cups of tea and talking about food, books and writing, and eating food, reading books and actually doing some writing. More on that soon.
This letter is all about chicken stock and why you need more of it in your life and how to make it. I know if you’re vegetarian or vegan this is an anathema to you, but to me and my fellow omnivores a well chosen chicken is a thing of extraordinary generosity in nutrition, taste and versatility. Mushrooms are a similar source of umami that is the base note of chicken stock, and hugely nutritional too, and you can make stock with dried versions easily as well so more on that another day for you lovely people.
The stock from last Sunday’s chicken has been made and the bones discarded after the last bit of goodness was rung from them. The meat has been eaten in risotto (with some of the stock), sandwiches, quesadillas (very flat toasties) and with some left over mash and chilli sauce (what can I say). There is still meat left (I have to admit this was a big old beast, coming in at 2kg to serve four hungry adults) and some gorgeous stock in a jar.
Here is how to make chicken stock.
Short version (50 words) :
1 chicken carcass, bay leaves, optional veg
Into a big pot, cover with water
Bring to the boil then quickly reduce heat to simmer, half cover
Blip blip 1 - 2 hours
Strain stock into bowl, transfer to jug for use later
For super concentrated simmer extra hour after discarding bones
Long version (lots of words) :
1 roast chicken carcass - all meat and skin removed (buy local organic if you can, or free range local. I know the outlay is more but welfare is so much better and if you use it like this it can give you so many meals - tastes better too to my mind)
bay leaves
onion, carrot and celery (optional)
Put the carcass into a large pot with the bay and veg and cover with cold water.
I didn’t use veg in this one. I had used garlic, lemon and thyme, plus some Mor Seafood Rub (good for so much more than seafood and comes in cute tin) and other bits in the roasting and felt that there was enough flavour there already. But the beauty of a good stock is that you can add whatever bits of veg are lying around to offer a bit of a boost of flavour and nutrition. That said, things like brassicas or starchy veg are not great. I was low on veg when I made this so this is what you get.
Bring the water to the boil, just, then turn the heat right down to simmer and let it blip blip for about an hour to two, lid half on. The slower the blip, the clearer the stock. I was renowned for ‘muddy stock’ when I cooked in my cafes. My chefs looked askance and didn’t understand why I was so blasé about it. To me it tastes the same, but there is something very elegant about a clear boullion it must be said, and if that’s how you are serving it then it is a must. To those of us who a bit more slap dash in the kitchen muddy is fine while we aim, naturally, for clear.
Anyway, back to the bubbling broth and the generosity of the chicken. Pour the broth into a colander that is sitting in a bowl (and not down the sink as I have done in the past, followed by loud lamenting). You can pick through the bones for any meat left on them and pop them in the stock, once they have cooled a bit. I find this particularly therapeutic.
You can either pour all the stock into a jug or jar at this point, or you can put it back in the pan after discarding the bones, and reduce the liquid a bit more for a super concentrated stock.
Stock will keep a fair while in the fridge, especially if it is sealed with its own schmaltz (chicken fat). If you have made it very concentrated you can pour it into an ice cube tray and use them as and when required.
Easy Chicken Soup
Put knob of butter (or slug of rape seed or olive oil) in a good soup pot and melt on medium heat, add a finely chopped onion, leek and carrot, plus fennel if you have some because it’s extra fabulous, and cook on a low heat until all soft and melty.
Add some warm stock and bring up to gentle bubble, then add a dessert spoon of miso and good glug or two of soy sauce. Taste and adjust according to your likes. Add the chicken meat if using and some shredded greens and keep simmering until these are cooked.
You can also add rehydrated seaweed at this point for extra minerals, also chilli and grated ginger (top tip - freeze ginger before grating - it’s a miracle!) for extra kick, health or otherwise.
Rice noodles are good in this soup - rehydrate before adding them, or any mini pasta shapes.
Added Bonus
To make a little chicken skin crisps take any left over skin and lay out on a very minimally oiled baking tray. Put in the oven, preferably with something else slow cooking, on low for an hour or so until all crisped and easy to break apart. Serve with a negroni.
NOTE
Just because I am writing about food and being light hearted, mostly, about everything does not mean I am not aware of the greater world and the truly horrible things happening to people in the Gaza, never mind Ukraine, never mind climate crisis drowning coast lines and whole islands.
There are endless charities to donate to, all doing incredible and difficult work. A long time ago I raised a small amount for this charity which has been working tirelessly to support children from both sides to deal with the traumas of their every day, and now truly terrifying, lives. If you feel you can add to their funds please do.
