Stocks

Stocks are used to many recipes such as rices, soups or sauces.

Sometimes we use stock or stock cubes bought from shops. Good as they are for an emergency, homemade stock is healthier, more natural and with less fats and salt.

They last for 3 days in the fridge or 2 months frozen.

Here we explain how to make them. Depending on whether we want fish, chicken or shellfish stock the combination of vegetables and spices will be different.

• Fish Stock
• Chicken Stock
• Shellfish Stock

Tips:

• You can concentrate the stock by boiling it, and then freeze in ice cubes and store in a sealed plastic bag in the freezer. This way it is easier to unfreeze just what you need with each recipe and use it as stock cubes.

• Instead of using a strain you can use a thin cotton fabric. The stock will be more clear.

Chicken Stock

Makes about 1,5 Litres

• 1 Kg of raw Chicken. You can use the whole chicken, chicken carcasses or bony joins (wings or drumsticks are best) but not visceras.
• 1,5 big Onions, peeled and chopped.
• 2 Celery stalks, washed and chopped.
• 1 Leek, cleaned and roughly chopped.
• 2 Carrots, peeled and chopped.
• 2 Garlic cloves, smahed.
• 2,5 L. cold Water.
• 1 dried Bay leave.
• 1 sprig of fresh Thyme.

Directions

• If we have a whole chicken we keep the breasts aside for another recipe.
• Wash the chicken to remove any blood from it as it would give a bitter taste, and cut the chicken in quarters.
• Put chicken into a large pan. Add cold water until it completely covers the chicken and bring to the boil.
• With a metal spoon, skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
• Place in it all the others ingredients and bring just to the boil, again.
• Reduce the heat and simmer for 4 hours (or 1:30 hours in a pressure cooker).
• De-scum occasionally.
• Strain the stock though a fine mesh strainer and use or store as required.
• Separate the chicken meat from the bones to use it in other recipes (“Croquetas”, Soups, Pasta, Salads, Sandwiches,…)