Scraps 'N Stock

Last week I had the therapeutic pleasure of breaking down a whole chicken into parts.  When complete, I had a pile of scraps including the chicken back and wing tips.  Those scraps make the perfect base for homemade chicken stock, one of the best items to keep in inventory. 

I usually don't like to add too many seasonings to my stock to keep it as versatile as possible.  If I throw a lot of thyme and rosemary in the pot, the stock may no longer be eligible for an Asian flavored dish in the future.  For this reason, my stocks [usually] consist of chicken, water, an onion, a carrot, salt, and pepper.

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Leftovers

After yesterday's post, I know there is one thing that everyone is wondering--what else can I do with a lamb's head?  The simple answer is to make stock.  This stock won't be similar to anything available in stores either.  Only homemade stocks can be this dark, rich, and gamey.

There's so much flavor in lamb head, that mise isn't really required for lamb stock.  Roast the head, cover with water, add salt, and cook at a lazy boil for six hours.  Any remaining flesh will fall off the bone during this time, and should be allowed to stay in the pool after the clean bones are extracted.  Don't worry about skimming fat off the top either, as that would be wasting flavor.  Once the stock is ready, call that special someone up for another round of tasty head.

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Cliffhanger

It isn't always a bad thing to be misunderstood, especially since it's usually someone else's fault.  For instance, Mondays, when I return to work, my weekend activities tend to be over-generalized.  Conspiring, eating a lot, and boiling down pig parts are the top three I'm told I do.  Just because I spent five hours at dinner Saturday night doesn't mean I ate a lot.  I was investing in memories--savoring, conversing, drinking, conspiring.  A lot happens inbetween 10+ courses.

But, what if I really did just boil down pig parts one day?  I don't think anything terrible could happen.  The sum of many good pig parts should at the very least be one huge, porky good thing.  Ingredients will be a grab bag of pork neck bones, belly, tail, trotters, shoulder, fat, stock, and seasoning (chili, garlic, thyme).  Hardware includes a pot, a terrine, plastic wrap, and weights.

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The Smackdown

Later this month, I have to spend the weekend in Virginia for work instead of flying back home to Chicago.  The team is taking the opportunity to have a chili competition, because if we have to go another day of hush puppies and green beans cooked past the point of recognition with no reprieve, we may go insane, or at least moreso.  I've done chili before, but realized it's been over a year, and I may be rusty.

When creating most dishes, I think of what my mom does so I have a foundation.  She mixes ground pork and beef, which I don't necessarily agree with executing, but think they should be married here, just as they would for meatloaf or meatballs.  Could use trotter gear, but I feel like the finer points of the product would be lost in the chili's heat.

The other option I have is to use pork stock.  Chili is often made with water, vegetable or chicken stock--I'm guilty of doing so in the past, but not anymore.  Making pork stock at home is simple, therapeutic bliss that ends with a wonderful product.

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