and we're golden!

A good stock is expensive. If you buy it in the store, it either has tons of preservatives or it's like a thousand dollars a quart. I exaggerate, but only slightly.

I have written entire posts about how I love to make my own stock. My reasoning: it's cheap, it's easy, and if you're willing to get your hands a little dirty, it's a goldmine -- of money (in that it saves you tons) and flavor.

Tonight, I am whippin' up a chicken and wild rice soup. I love soups ...because they are made from my stock. And stock is cheap (get it? Stock, instead of talk). Here's the method for the soup:

1) Roast four pieces of dark meat chicken (since you've deboned the breasts & tenderloins and chopped off the wings for a later wing night, you're left with two thighs and two drumsticks). Today I tossed the chicken in olive oil, salt & pepper & 1/2 a diced onion. 425 for an hour and 15. Remove and let cool until step 4.

2) Melt your stock (the 3 cups you have individually separated and frozen). I add a little bit, 1 cup-ish, of water to the bottom of the pan.

3) Chop 3 carrots & 3 stalks of celery, add it to the stock.

4) Debone the chicken, making sure to leave out any bones (obviously and including the pesky skinny, sharp ones in the drumstick), ligaments and tendons (chop 'em if you have to!). Chop up the chicken into good sized chunks. Add it back into the stock. [I added the roasted onions back into the stock, too...for more yum effect.]

5) Here is where the glory happens. Bring the stock and its extra ingredients to a soft boil. Let it roll for 10-15 minutes. Then strain out the veggies & chicken. (I nest my strainer/colander inside my biggest mixing bowl.)  The stock will be a dark golden color. And it will have the most magnificent flavor.

6) Then use two cups of the golden stock to make your rice. One cup wild rice to two cups of stock. Bring the two cups of stock to a boil, add the cup of rice, set to low, give it 15-20 minutes.

7) Toss the rest of the golden stock in with the veggies & then add in the rice.

Final product will be more of a "stoup" rather than a soup. You can always use more than the three original cups of stock if you want it to be more soup-y.

You might be wondering why I don't just make the golden stock instead of having the basic stock to start with. Honestly, it's just easier to make a stock from the chicken carcass (after the legs, thighs, wings, breast & tenderloins have been removed), and freeze it, than to do the chopping and whatnot later...to make the golden stock.

The best part of this stoup is that it's hearty, it's filling, and it's completely homemade. Getcha some.