Read 1,000 Jewish Recipes Online
Authors: Faye Levy
6 cups water
1 bay leaf
2 sprigs fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
5 parsley stems (optional)
2 large garlic cloves, peeled and crushed (optional)
1
1
â
2
cups mushroom stems (optional)
Pinch of salt (optional)
Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 1 hour. Strain stock, pressing on ingredients in strainer; discard ingredients in strainer. Refrigerate or freeze stock until ready to use.
Cleaning Leeks
1.
Split leeks lengthwise twice: beginning about 1 inch from root end, cut leeks with a sharp knife toward green end, leaving root-end attached.
2.
Dip leeks repeatedly in a sink full of cold water.
3.
Check the leek layers to be sure no sand is left. If any remains, soak leeks in cold water for a few minutes; then rinse the leaves thoroughly and drain.
4.
Cut off root ends and discard.
Tasty broth is a by-product of cooking many vegetables. I save the cooking liquid of most vegetables in a jar in the refrigerator and so I always have pareve broth for making soups or stews. When I need a very fast vegetable dish, I like to cook carrots and zucchini together. They're ready in a few minutes, and they produce a flavorful broth.
2 large carrots, sliced
4 cups water
1 bay leaf (optional)
Pinch of salt (optional)
2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced
Combine carrots, water, and bay leaf and salt, if using, in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat 10 minutes. Add zucchini cook over low heat 5 minutes or until tender. Discard bay leaf. Serve carrots and zucchini as an easy side dish. Refrigerate or freeze broth until needed.
Chicken soup or broth from cooking a whole chicken or meaty chicken pieces is a staple in the Jewish kitchen. In my home, however, chicken soup disappears fast! There rarely seems to be any left over for me to keep on hand in the freezer when I need a base for quick soups. Stock is a more economical but still flavorful alternative made from chicken bones, necks, wing tips, other trimmings, and giblets. Use it to make soups, sauces, and as a cooking liquid for rice and vegetables for
fleishig
meals. You can refrigerate the stock for 2 to 3 days or keep it in the freezer.
4 pounds chicken wings, bones, backs, necks, and giblets (except livers)
2 onions, quartered
2 carrots, quartered
2 ribs celery, with leaves (optional)
Dark green parts of 2 or 3 leeks, cleaned (optional)
2 bay leaves
12 parsley stems, without leaves (optional)
About 5 quarts water
2 sprigs fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1.
Combine chicken, onions, carrots, celery and leeks, if using, bay leaves, and parsley, if using, in a large pot. Add enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, skimming froth. Add thyme, if using.
2.
Reduce heat to low so that stock bubbles very gently. Partially cover and cook 2 hours, skimming foam and fat occasionally with a large metal spoon or a slotted spoon. Strain stock into large bowls. If not using immediately, cool to lukewarm. Refrigerate until cold and skim fat off top.
Turkey Stock:
Substitute turkey wings or wing tips, turkey bones, and giblets (except livers) for those from chicken. Cook the stock 3 hours.
There are four ways to make turkey stock. Roasting turkey stock, as in this recipe, is probably the most common technique. It makes use of the bones left from a roast turkey; it's surprising what good turkey flavor the stock has even when made from cooked bones. The second,
Fast Turkey Stock
, is the most rapidly made of the turkey stocks and makes use of turkey giblets and trimmings. A third way is atypical for poultry but provides delicious flavor: turkey neck and giblets are sautéed with seasonings and then simmered with chicken stock. See
Brown Turkey Stock
. Finally, a fourth way is to use whole turkey wings or uncooked bones from a turkey to make turkey stock the way you make chicken stock. (See variation,
Chicken Stock
.)
No matter how it's made, turkey stock has the same uses as chicken stock. You can refrigerate the stock for 2 to 3 days or keep it in the freezer.
Bones and carcass of 1 roast turkey
2 onions, whole
2 carrots, whole
3 ribs celery, with leaves
1 parsnip or parsley root, whole (optional)
12 parsley stems, without leaves (optional)
2 bay leaves
About 4 to 5 quarts water
2 sprigs fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme (optional)
1.
Chop roast turkey bones and carcass into manageable pieces. Put in a stock pot or other large pot. Add onions, carrots, celery, parsnip, and parsley stems, if using, and bay leaves. Add enough water to cover the ingredients. Bring to a boil, skimming froth. Add thyme.
2.
Reduce heat to low so that stock bubbles very gently. Partially cover and cook, skimming foam and fat occasionally with a large metal spoon or a slotted spoon, 3 hours or until well flavored. Strain stock into large bowls. If not using immediately, let cool. Refrigerate until cold and skim fat off top.
Make this fairly quick stock from turkey neck and giblets while the bird is roasting. Then you can use it to make
Quick Turkey Gravy
. Use water as the cooking liquid, or, for a more concentrated taste, begin with chicken stock.
1 turkey neck and giblets (except liver)
1 large onion, quartered
1 small carrot, cut into thick slices
1 rib celery (optional)
2 large cloves garlic, crushed
1 bay leaf
1 sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
6 cups chicken stock, mixed stock and water, or water
1.
Combine turkey neck and giblets, onion, carrot, celery, if using, garlic, bay leaf, thyme, and stock in medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, skimming foam and fat occasionally with a large metal spoon or a slotted spoon. Cover and simmer over very low heat for 1 to 1
1
â
2
hours.
2.
Strain stock into a bowl. Use at once, refrigerate, or freeze. Skim fat from surface before using.
Fast Duck or Goose Stock:
Substitute duck or goose neck and giblets for those of turkey.
In classic European cooking, brown stock is made primarily from veal or beef. Today many cooks also make it with chicken or turkey stock. It gives soups and sauces a deeper flavor and richer color. You can refrigerate it for 2 or 3 days or keep it in the freezer.
1 turkey neck and giblets (except liver)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 rib celery, diced (optional)
4 to 5 cups chicken stock, or stock mixed with water
1 large tomato, quartered
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 bay leaf
1 large sprig fresh thyme or
1
â
2
teaspoon dried thyme
1.
Chop turkey neck into a few pieces. Dice turkey giblets. Heat oil in a medium, heavy saucepan. Add giblets and sauté over medium-high heat, stirring often, about 7 minutes or until browned. Add onion, carrot, and celery, if using, and sauté over medium heat, stirring often, about 5 minutes or until onion browns. Keep stirring and reduce heat if necessary. Turkey pieces tend to stick; do not let them burn.
2.
Add stock, tomato, tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme to saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring often to dissolve brown bits. Cover and simmer over very low heat, skimming foam and fat occasionally with a large metal spoon or a slotted spoon, 1
1
â
2
hours or until well flavored. Strain stock. Use at once, refrigerate, or freeze.