Bottega - Michael Chiarello [8]
Adding roasted chicken bones and red wine makes this stock rich, dark, and hearty. You can use cold water instead of chicken broth if you like, but I urge you to try this double-chicken method for stock that knocks your socks off. If you want to really go the extra mile, double the Chicken Broth recipe and use it for all the liquid in this recipe, except for the red wine.
2 pounds chicken necks
4 pounds chicken wings, (cut each wing into 3 sections)
2 pounds chicken drumsticks
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup chicken fat, saved from a previous stock, or olive oil
2 cups coarsely chopped yellow onions (about 1 large onion)
2 cups coarsely chopped celery (about 4 stalks)
2 cups peeled and coarsely chopped carrots (about 3 large carrots)
One 750-ml bottle dry red wine
1 cup water for deglazing, plus 1 gallon cold water
1 gallon Chicken Broth or low-salt store-bought broth
1 cup packed coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
¼ cup fresh thyme sprigs
2 tablespoons black peppercorns
12 juniper berries, lightly crushed
6 bay leaves
Preheat the oven to 450°F. Toss the chicken necks, wings, and drumsticks with the olive oil, arrange on two rimmed baking sheets, and roast until the chicken is golden brown, 15 to 20 minutes.
While the chicken bones roast, heat a large, heavy stockpot over medium heat, add the chicken fat, and then add the vegetables. Sauté the vegetables for about 20 minutes, or until nicely browned, and add the red wine. Increase the heat to high and cook until the wine has reduced to a syrup, 15 to 20 minutes. (Stay close by and don’t cook it so long that the wine scorches.) Turn off the heat and let the pot cool.
When the chicken is brown, remove from the oven and transfer the chicken with tongs to a colander set on a plate, to let the fat drain. Set the baking sheets on the stove top over medium heat and add1/2 cup water to each. Stir to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the sheets. Pour the contents of each sheet into the pot with the vegetables. Add the chicken pieces and then pour in the remaining 1 gallon water and the chicken broth. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid barely boils, then reduce the heat and let the stock simmer for 20 minutes, skimming off the foam occasionally. Add the parsley, thyme, peppercorns, juniper berries, and bay leaves.
Using tongs, gently transfer the chicken to a plate to avoid clouding the liquid. (Later, pull the chicken off the bone and reserve it for another use, such as chicken salad or to toss with pasta.) Strain the stock through a colander and then strain again through a fine-mesh sieve. Let cool completely.
Store in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days or in the freezer for up to 3 months. (Even when I plan to freeze the stock, I refrigerate it first; when it’s chilled, I scrape off the fat that rises to the top and save it in plastic bags in my freezer for other uses.) If freezer space is tight, cook the stock over medium-high heat to reduce it by about half and then thin with water as needed when you’re ready to use the stock.
CHEF’S NOTE: Extra-virgin olive oil is the type I use most often, but I also cook with a refined olive oil that isn’t extra-virgin. Easily recognized by its light straw color, this type of oil used to be called “pure olive oil,” but these days you rarely see “pure” on the label. If a bottle or can is labeled “olive oil” (with no mention of extra-virgin), this is the oil to use when you want a milder flavor.
In this book, I tell you where I use extra-virgin olive oil. If you don’t see the words extra-virgin in an ingredient list, use this milder, straw-colored olive oil. Read more about oils in the Pantry section.
Shrimp Stock
MAKES ABOUT 3 QUARTS
I use this stock for many of Bottega’s seafood and pasta dishes, including Solo Shrimp Pasta. When making shrimp stock, call ahead and ask your fishmonger to save shrimp shells for you; these add to the stock’s flavor without adding much cost.
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
¾ pound of the least expensive good fresh shrimp you