Basic Chicken Stock    No. 214
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     2 lbs       chicken scraps, including some bones
     2 quarts    cold water, to cover
     1 large     onion, peeled and stuck with
     4           cloves
     1 large     garlic clove, peeled
     2 ribs      celery, halved crosswise, with leaves if available
     2           carrots, cut into chunks
     1           bay leaf
     2 sprigs    parsley, or
     1 tbls      parsley flakes, dried
     1 tsp       tarragon
   1/2 tsp       thyme
   1/2 tsp       dillweed
                 salt, if desired, to taste
    12           peppercorns, or
   1/2 tsp       black pepper, freshly ground

Place all the ingredients in a large pot with a cover. Bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat. Partially cover the pot. Simmer for at least 1 hour. The
longer the stock cooks, the richer it will become. But don't cook it until
the broth evaporates.Pour the stock through a fine strainer, sieve or
cheesecloth into a fat separating measuring cup, bowl or other suitable
container. Press on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. If
using the fat skimmer, decant the fat-free broth into containers for
storage. Otherwise, refrigerate the broth until the fat hardens enough for
easy removal. (Depending on the amount of gelatinous protein in the
chicken scraps, the broth may gel at refrigerator temperatures.)
Yields 5 Cups

Posted by Joel Ehrlich to rec.food.recipes on Feb 15, 1998.