Cooking... by the seat of my Pants!

Turkey Stock

Ingredients:

• 1 turkey carcass, including leftover skin, wingtips (and giblets if available)
• 2 carrots, broken in half
• 3 stalks celery, broken in half
• 1 onion, cut in 2 pieces
• 1 head garlic, cut in half across the cloves.
• Water to cover.
• 1 tbsp. ground sage.
• 1 tbsp. dried rosemary.
• Salt and pepper to taste.
• 2 tbsp olive oil (if giblets and neck are available)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Break up carcass into manageable pieces. Place in roasting pan or casserole and place in oven for 15 to 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, if giblets and neck are available, saute in a heavy bottomed stock pot with 2 tbsp. olive oil over medium high heat until well browned, turning once.

Remove carcass from oven when fat has begun to render from meat and joints. Add carcass to stock pot, thigh, drumstick and wing bones first. Add vegetables, just enough water to cover, sage rosemary salt and pepper.

Bring pot to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 to 2 hours. Taste for seasoning and adjust if necessary.

Strain stock through a colander lined with damp cheesecloth or through a fine mesh sieve, let cool and store.

Storage:

Stock can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Frozen it will last a good few months. simply add frozen stock to whatever pan you are preparing your meal in.

Cheats!

If you don’t feel like going through this much effort, you can still make a great stock by simmering your carcass pieces in vegetable stock. In about 35 minutes it will be a pretty good turkey stock, though not quite as rich as the original method.