Making a Nourishing Chicken Stock

I received a copy of Sally Fallon’s Nourishing Traditions several years ago.  I perused through it at that time, found it to be very informative, but put it away and didn’t really think of it as a resource or as a cookbook as it is intended to be.  Last year, while I was canning pickles and making sauerkraut from my garden, I remembered the section on lacto-fermented foods and dug it out.

I began to slowly go through it again and realized now that I was a bit more educated and interested in the subject of food politics and real food, it seemed to resonate a bit more with me.  I haven’t made it a whole lot farther than the “Mastering the Basics” section, particularly the section on stocks.  My first time preparing a stock, I began to see how nourishing AND economical a practice this is. 

From the NT cookbook:

^{A lamentable outcome of our modern meat processing techniques and our hurry-up, throwaway lifestyle has been a decline in the use of meat, chicken and fish stocks.  In days gone by, when the butcher sold meat on the bone rather than as individual filets and whole chickens rather than boneless breasts, our thrifty ancestors made use of every part of the animal by preparing stock, broth or bouillon from the bony portions.} 
 

^{Properly prepared, meat stocks are extremely nutritious, containing the minerals of bone, cartilage, marrow and vegetables as electrolytes, a form that is easy to assimilate.  Acidic wine or vinegar added during cooking helps to draw minerals, particularly calcium, magnesium and potassium, into the broth.}

It goes on to say:

^{…important ingredients go into the broth are the components of cartilage, which recently have been used with remarkable results in the treatment of cancer and bone disorders, and of collagen, used to treat rheumatoid arthritis and other ailments.} 

The book talks extensively about how these stocks are used in European cultures and cooking, as well. Here is just a little about that:

^{…they also add immeasurably to the flavor of our food. In European cuisines, rich stocks form the basis of those exquisite, clear, thick, smooth, satisfying and beautifully flavored sauces that seem to be produced by magic.}

I also appreciate that stock can be made in bulk and stored until needed.  So, I purchased 2 pastured, free-range organic stew hens for about $25 locally from my lovely farmer at Kvam Family Farm for $25 and picked up some carrots, celery and yellow onion at the store. 

Following the NT recipe, which I doubled, I combined 2 whole chickens, 8 quarts of cold water, 4 T. Vinegar, 2 large onion coarsely chopped, 4 carrots coarsely chopped and 6 celery stalks coarsely chopped into a large stock pot.  Let stand 30 min to 1 hour.  I brought it to a boil, removed the scum from the top, then reduced heat, covered and simmered for 24 hours.  The recipe recommends 6-24 hours, the longer it is cooked, the thicker & more flavorful it will be.

From that, I was able to make 1 gallon + 4 1/2 quart jars of stock. The gallon went into the deep freeze, 1 1/2 quarts went into the freezer, 2 quarts went into the fridge and 1 quart went to my parents.  After I read about it being nutritious for rheumatoid arthritis, I wanted my dad to have some.  I enjoy boiling grains, starting soups and sautéing veggies with stock.  If freezer space is at a premium, you can continue to cook the broth down to a fumet or demi-glace.

In the bowl, is the leftover carrots, celery and onion mixture.  I cooked this down for another 8 hours, adding spices I had on hand like rosemary, lemon & pepper, Himalayan salt and a clove of sliced garlic.  This gave it flavor as most is boiled out of it.

I added this to some rice and we ate this today for lunch and the kids loved it!  Plus, I have leftovers enough for another lunch.

I also took the chicken from the bones and kept it.  While it doesn’t have a lot of flavor since the hens were old and it has been cooked so long, it is still a viable meat.  I should be able to make enchiladas, taco meat for burritos or nachos with this.  You can also use it to make chicken salads or feed to pets.

So, for roughly $30, plus what I have in the pantry, my family will enjoy 4-5 meals and the basis of several other meals with the use of the stock, plus the health benefits of very nourishing foods. 

I find it absolutely amazing to give the same care, time & attention to meals as our ancestors did and get so much back for so little!

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