Silversea Water Cooler: Welcome! Part Five

[mysty]

25 minutes ago, Host Jazzbeau said:

For Mardi Gras in New Orleans, when you take your t-shirt off???

 

Ha ha ha Jazz!  Have you been reading my diary?  🤣

[Will Work for Tiramisu]

Clo,

On the subject of making stock - it is a cornerstone of our kitchen.  We have a longstanding cycle wherein we roast a good quality chicken, usually pretty simply (such as Marcella Hazen's chicken with a lemon inside), and recently have been using an Emile Henry clay roaster which has a vertical protrusion which you set the chicken on (think beer can chicken!).  With an eye toward tasty, rich stock, we often put coarsely sliced onions, whole peeled garlic cloves, carrots and celery in the bottom of the roaster, where they cook in the juices and fat from the chicken, and will brown and make for scrumptious broth.  We generally eat the meat from the chicken for dinner, then all the bones, skin, everything but the meat, go in a  heavy stock pot, together with all the veggies and scrapings from the bottom of the roaster.  A little wine or vodka will help to melt the brown bits, if stuck to the roaster.  We put the pot on the stove at low setting, add water to cover the carcass, and generally cook all day.  Makes the house smell wonderful.  We'll also use the opportunity to clear out the produce drawer, and add parsley, more onions or leeks, any "aromatic vegetables".  (Not potatoes, and don't suggest parsnips/turnips/rutabagas - most people don't like the sharp flavor.)  Add water during the day so chicken carcass is mostly covered, put lid on slightly ajar.  We use the stock for all manner of soups, frequently for risotto, and as ingredient in numerous dishes.  We degrease it and freeze in several sizes of containers.  We try to always have a few quarts frozen, as we can make a quick, tasty soup if we're tired and want something good PDQ. 

 

The other most popular broth is beef based.  We buy a fair quantity of beef bones, like 10 - 15# (frequently knuckles, shanks, bones from boned cuts), preferably with some meat still attached.  Spread them on a heavy baking sheet, and roast for an hour or so.  (Julia Child would have you break the bones with a mallet, to expose the marrow, a good idea.)  You want the bones to have a dark chocolate sort of color - well cooked but not burned.  Adding water to pan may help avoid scorching.  Again, you could add carrots, onions, celery, garlic to the pan, but maybe halfway thru the roast, so they don't burn.  When done, scrape it all into a large stock pot, add water to cover, and cook long and slow.  Degrease, and voila!  Tasty brown stock.  Again, adding veggies to the pot always helps.  

 

In both cases, no real need to add spices or salt to the pot, unless maybe you add a bay leaf to the beef broth.  The long cooking will overcome the spices.  And, one of these broths well made will have its own wonderful taste.  

 

The next most common broth would be all vegetable, which you can probably figure out how to do from above.  Roasting beforehand gives more flavor, but is not essential.  Some people like to use dried mushrooms, which add a nice pungent taste.  We avoid any and all "instant broth" products, as they mostly have processed ingredients that bear little resemblance to what is wanted in a good broth.  Hydrolized plant proteins, MSG, these are mostly cheats.  It is easy to make the real stuff, takes little time, and the results are excellent.  

 

Mercifully, I won't describe fish or seafood broths, but the methods are similar.  Bon(e) Appetit! 

[zqtchas]

7 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Our little snow storm is over.  Just a mere 24” fell.  I like watching the light narrow through the night in the time lapse.

E says better thee than we!!

[zqtchas]

[clo]

8 hours ago, Stumblefoot said:

Our little snow storm is over.  Just a mere 24” fell.  I like watching the light narrow through the night in the time lapse.

6374B512-897C-44EA-ADEC-7675CD9172F8.MOV

Wow, that sure doesn't look like 24" at all. More like 2".

[clo]

1 hour ago, Will Work for Tiramisu said:

On the subject of making stock - it is a cornerstone of our kitchen.

I so appreciate all this good advice. I have also made it by bringing a heavy Dutch oven to a boil and then put it covered in a super low oven overnight. I like all your flavorings.

[zqtchas]

[mysty]

Greetings Coolers!

 

Today's funny.....

 

 

Have a great safe fun day all!

[Lois R]

Good morning, so did anyone else see The Tuscany Episode? I had never seen those

Wine Windows before......fun way to order😃 and it was quite interesting to see the

story about Stanley's family as well.

[zqtchas]

28 minutes ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, so did anyone else see The Tuscany Episode? I had never seen those

Wine Windows before......fun way to order😃 and it was quite interesting to see the

story about Stanley's family as well.

they are in Venice too.

[zqtchas]

[zqtchas]

1 hour ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, so did anyone else see The Tuscany Episode? I had never seen those

Wine Windows before......fun way to order😃 and it was quite interesting to see the

story about Stanley's family as well.

Also when your water bottle is empty you can get it filled with wine there too. It was a euro a glass.

The wine is local in each place which is generally pretty good.

[dusababy]

Several years ago, en route with a driver from Civitavecchia to Rome, we had plenty of time and he took us to a local winery.  Horse -drawn carts piled high with grapes - we entered the big stone barn and there were two what appeared to be gas pumps, one for white and one for red wine.  The locals brought large plastic jugs, filled up, and went on home.  We bought a bottle of wine, which was unfortunately dropped when we arrived at the hotel.  Probably good luck. 

[mysty]

[lincslady]

Lois - I wonder if you have got your new bed yet?  At the moment, my super comfy bed is probably the most important thing in the world!   A sad state of affairs.  And the electric blanket - bliss.

 

Lola

[Host Jazzbeau]

4 hours ago, dusababy said:

Several years ago, en route with a driver from Civitavecchia to Rome, we had plenty of time and he took us to a local winery.  Horse -drawn carts piled high with grapes - we entered the big stone barn and there were two what appeared to be gas pumps, one for white and one for red wine.  The locals brought large plastic jugs, filled up, and went on home.  We bought a bottle of wine, which was unfortunately dropped when we arrived at the hotel.  Probably good luck. 

On the Camino de Santiago across northern Spain, the Monasterio de Irache has  a pair of spigots serving up free wine or water.  Unfortunately the water was better tasting than the wine, but the price was right!

[Lois R]

1 hour ago, lincslady said:

Lois - I wonder if you have got your new bed yet?  At the moment, my super comfy bed is probably the most important thing in the world!   A sad state of affairs.  And the electric blanket - bliss.

 

Lola

Hi Lola, nope....have not received it yet. It was supposed to be delivered last week but did not

make the truck.  The store called me and apologized and said it is supposed to be coming 

this week.  They said on the 18th........which is my birthday!........maybe it will arrive on time

this go round.  Will let you know!

[jpalbny]

7 hours ago, Lois R said:

Good morning, so did anyone else see The Tuscany Episode? I had never seen those

Wine Windows before......fun way to order😃 and it was quite interesting to see the

story about Stanley's family as well.

 

We watched it yesterday and enjoyed it very much! I've been wanting to revisit Florence for some time and this just made me wish more intently.

[rojaan19]

Edited March 16, 2021 by rojaan19

[Stumblefoot]

While we have no cat, if we did, I guarantee you it would be Cat #3.

 

 

[mysty]

4 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

While we have no cat, if we did, I guarantee you it would be Cat #3.

 

 

Which is why we have no cats or dogs or birds or fish!  We have spiders and I kill them.  Nothing on more than 2 legs is allowed in my home.   And Myster does not kill bugs.   I'm the one with notches on my belt.  Unapologetically!

[jpalbny]

16 minutes ago, Stumblefoot said:

While we have no cat, if we did, I guarantee you it would be Cat #3.

 

 

 

Stumblecat FTW! 🤣

[zqtchas]

[zqtchas]

[mysty]

12 minutes ago, zqtchas said:

 

Awesome Chas!  Truer words were never spoken!  Thanks for the reminder!