It’s been a while since it was published, but Mark Bittman’s New Year pantry re-org is still on my mind. While some of his suggestions don’t resonate with the way I cook or manage my pantry his take on box-stock hit home. I’ve over used the stuff in the past resulting in high sodium, poultry-pummeled versions of my original intentions. Chicken flavored beans are not really what I’m going for to pair with my Wednesday night tacos. I want to taste beans, and cumin, and heat.
Bittman says canned stock is out and offers the following replacement;
Simmer a carrot, a celery stalk and half an onion in a couple of cups of water for 10 minutes and you’re better off; if you have any chicken scraps, even a half-hour of cooking with those same vegetables will give you something 10 times better than any canned stock.
I’ve managed a “quick” stock with a leftover chicken thigh, and whatever veg I can scavenge from the lower drawers of my fridge. Quick is in quotation marks because it still took close to an hour start to end. Fast, but not exactly week night fast.
For a recent steak dinner though I decided to really minimize the ingredients and effort. Some turnip scraps, celery, carrots, and onions simmered in water while tending to my other dishes. Strained and reduced the results were clean, and with the drippings from my steaks I had more than enough beefy flavor for my pan sauce. It cost me about 5 minutes total labor, and was otherwise free considering the ingredients were all on hand. Considering the 3-4 for dollars I’d have shelled out some something that ultimately doesn’t taste as good, I think I’ve found myself a bargain.
"Quick" Chicken Stock
