Chicken broth

This is something I do all the time, and is so familiar to me that I never thought of it as a 'recipe.' But after a conversation a couple weeks ago, it occurred to me that this is not at all obvious, so I'm writing it up. This broth comes out a rich, caramel color and has a hearty, thick texture. I use it in everything.

Broth freezes very nicely and will keep for several months in an airtight container. Freeze in several 'portions' so that you don't have to defrost more than you want. (Like anything else, defrosting broth and then freezing it again is a Bad Thing.)

This will seriously warm up your house. (In my thousand s.f. home, the temperature usually rises 3-4 degrees farenheit everywhere, and maybe 10-12 degrees in the kitchen!) Also, you are pretty much guaranteed to set off a smoke detector while you're roasting the bones, so take whatever precautions are necessary. (If you choose to unplug your detectors, you'd better not leave the kitchen for even a second until you're done roasting the bones!)


INGREDIENTS:

• 8-10 lbs chicken necks and/or frames (any chicken will do, but these two products are extremely cheap--typically $0.50 - $0.80 / lb, or twice that for kosher).
  
• 2-3 lbs onions, peeled and cut in quarters
• 2 lbs carrots, cut into large pieces
  
• Several bay leaves
• Several whole peppercorns
• Oil for sautéing
  

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 425˚ F.
2. Arrange the chicken pieces on a large broiler pan. You may need two. Make sure it's got one of those fat-drippy thingies.
3. Roast the chicken for about 45 minutes, turning about halfway through. It should be dark brown.
4. Meanwhile, sauté the carrots and onions in your stock pot over medium-high heat until the onions begin to turn golden, about 10-15 minutes.
5. Transfer the chicken to the stock pot. Add the spices. Combine the ingredients gently.
6. Add enough cold water to just cover the chicken and maybe a little more. This is usually about 4-5 quarts. (Don't worry about this too much, as long as the chicken is covered; you can always add more water or reduce it.)
7. Cover and bring to a boil. (This could take awhile with so much water.)
8. Reduce heat to a simmer and continue to cook for another 2 1/2 - 3 hours or so. Add water as needed to keep the chicken covered. Including the time it was coming to a boil, you want it to go for about 3 1/2 hours. Less, and you under-extract the chicken; more and the bones begin to decalcify, turning the broth slightly bitter.
9. Using a long-handled metal strainer (or just a slotted spoon), remove most of the solid stuff in the pot as is convenient. Then, using a ladle and a fine strainer, strain the liquid into containers.
10. If freezing, make sure the containers are about 1/3 empty so that the broth has room to expand.

You can also reduce the broth as much as you want once the bones have been removed; a very strong reduction becomes somewhat like a demi-glace and makes a fabulous base for a gravy. (Careful when doing this with kosher broth, as you are also concentrating the salt that comes in kosher meat.)