Stocking up....

Making stock in your crock pot…now, isn’t that a fantastic idea? Someone let me in on this little secret years ago, and it was one of those epiphanal cooking moments for me. Why did I not think of this before? You get the same (possibly even better) stock, with almost no work at all. Who knew? (Well, obviously lots of people knew, or at least one person did that told me!) Anyway, in keeping with the thanksgiving theme, I wanted to pass along this very easy way to make turkey stock. Here is probably where I should thank Nana (aka: Sheila, or Jim’s mom!) for the donation of the turkey carcass which usually makes this stock possible! Thank you Nana, much appreciated, as always!)



Turkey Stock, ala Crock Pot

Turkey carcass (or chicken)

Water to cover

Optional ingredients: Onions, garlic, carrots, celery, herbs, or any other vegetable you have on hand that you feel like adding to the pot

Method:

Place your turkey carcass into your crock pot, cover with water, turn it to low, and leave it covered for 8-10 hours. I often put mine on overnight, so it cooks while I sleep. The house smells heavenly when you wake up!

When your stock is ready, just strain into a large container, and let cool completely in the fridge. Once the stock is cooled, the fat will rise to the top, and you can spoon it off easily, leaving you wonderful, homemade stock, with a minimum of work. You can use empty 650g yoghurt containers to store it in the freezer, or the zip-type freezer bags, and date with a sharpie marker. I also like to freeze some in ice cube trays for those times when you want just a wee bit of stock. You can then use the cubes for de-glazing your pans, or for stir- frying without adding any fats or oils.