Little Orange Dahlia Days

What, pray tell, would I cook today if I had my full capacities?

A high today of 74 degrees is predicted with a low of 59 and 50% rain… Soup, I think. Since it’s fall and October, maybe a pumpkin bisque, or pumpkin and black bean soup, or butternut squash soup with bacon crumbles or vegetarian with mint and Serrano chilies a la The Savory Way. Maybe a nice thick kidney bean and ground beef chili with some corn bread baked in a cast iron skillet in reserved bacon grease. Maybe the white bean, kale, and kielbasa soup with a warm sourdough boule and softened butter on the side. That’s one of my favorites although I usually make that once it’s cold out. Or a minestrone with a tomato-ey broth, lots of veggies and beans, and some spinach tortellini tucked in; but that one has to be eaten since it doesn’t freeze well.

Later on in the winter I might make a rich French onion soup to have with a crispy crouton and greyure cheese on top that has been melted and toasted until it is bubbly and golden. Or pork Chile Verde with a side of rice and pinto beans and toasted tortillas to dip in the sauce. And I’m sure that I’d make a big pot roast surrounded by thick pieces of potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery in a wonderfully deep beef sauce thickened with tomato paste and seasoned with thyme and bay. Eaten, of course, with nice thick slices of warmed French bread slathered with butter to mop up any lingering sauce… but, I digress. Chile Verde and Pot roast, while delicious and comforting winter dishes, are not soup.

What I would probably do is start the season off by making a huge pot of chicken stock, using the leftover bones from rotisserie chickens that I had frozen over many months. Enough for several different uses over the coming colder days. Strain, cool, and freeze half of it in varying portion sizes, leaving the other half off to the side. With that half I would make chicken soup so that I was never left high and dry of nourishment when I felt a cold coming on and the only thing I wanted to do was go home, put on my pajamas, and crawl into bed. There’s nothing like the satisfaction of knowing that you have the emergency provisions you want ready to use when needed. 🙂

Here’s a loose recipe for Chicken Soup and, hence, Chicken Broth

CHICKEN BROTH

Leftover Rotisserie Chicken bones, skin, tails, wing tips, etc. (Or I roast Chicken parts – ask the butcher for what’s unused/cheap – if I don’t have those leftovers.)

Roughly Chopped Carrots, Celery, Onions (all rinsed and tops and root portions removed) in a proportion of 1/4 to 1/4 to 1/2, respectively

Several sprigs of Thyme, whole

Several sprigs of Flat-Leaved Parsley, whole

Bay Leaves, 2 or 3 depending on volume

Whole Black Peppercorns, to Taste

Salt, to Taste (or none at all)

Water, to cover all by 2 1/2 to 3 times the volume of the other ingredients

Using a pot large enough to hold the ingredients and the water with a couple of inches from the top to spare, add all ingredients and turn the heat on to high. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium low. Skim any foam that develops on the surface and stir occasionally, if necessary, to ensure that nothing sticks on the bottom and scorches.

When the water has reduced by about a quarter or so, begin to taste the broth to determine when it has reduced to your liking. You may wish to have a lighter broth or one that is richer and more reduced depending on what you’re using it for.

Once it has reached the desired strength, you should notice that the gelatin has rendered from the bones and that the liquid now has some body, turn the heat off and let it cool a bit so that it is more easily handled. Strain the broth into another container through a China Cap (aren’t you fancy!) or two strainers placed together. I usually find that the vegetables have given their all to the broth and are, thus, flavorless and so I throw them away. But please do feel free to use them if you are so inclined.

Begin to fill your storage containers leaving a bit of room for the expansion of the liquid as it freezes. I tend to freeze it into convenient portions that are sized from ice cubes through to quarts to allow for uses from sauces to soups and stews. If you don’t want to tie up your containers for an extended period of time, line them with appropriately sized freezer bags first and then pull them out and seal them once the contents has frozen. I double bag the ice cube sized portions to help prevent freezer burn (I do the same thing with the pesto I make each year when basil is plentiful and cheap).