Make-your-own stock

Here's a quick way to do something good for the environment AND for your cuisine: make your own bouillon. I came across an Alton Brown recipe for chicken stock this winter, and the idea of having vegetables and chicken bubbling merrily on my stove just seemed so domestic and charming that I couldn't resist. (Oh, unemployment, what have you done to me?) So I trotted out to the local boucherie / epicerie and bought some chicken necks and drumsticks, a basket full of mixed vegetables and herbs, and hurried home to get started on my bouillon project. Sébastien watched, warily, as I arrived back at the house, arms loaded with groceries. He continued watching as I washed and peeled my vegetables, threw everything into a pot, boiled for a few hours, and then - gasp - threw everything away. No, if you're wondering, the bouillon wasn't bad - it was delicious. I kept all the liquid, of course, and used it in nearly every recipe for weeks afterwards. But when you're done making bouillon, you're supposed to throw away the chicken bits and the vegetables. Sébastien was horrified. "What a waste!" he cried ("quel gâchis!" in case you were wondering, in French). And upon reflection, he was right. What is the point in buying bags of fresh vegetables, only to throw them away?

Well, I think I've found the solution. Following the suggestion of the eco-friendly Seattle-area restaurant Café Flora, I've started stowing all my vegetable peelings in the freezer. Every time you find yourself peeling carrots or potatoes, slicing celery, mincing onion, or even using fresh parsley garnishes, save EVERYTHING that you don't use. Of course, this means you need to thoroughly wash your vegetables before peeling them, but that's not too much of a hardship, is it? Nearly all vegetables work - leeks, potatoes, celery, carrots, and onions are my favorites - but you should avoid anything with too much color or flavor, such as beets (pink bouillon would not be appetizing), green onions or asparagus. What's really great about making your own bouillon is that you can use all the parts of vegetables that you would normally throw away: the leafy tops of leeks or celery, that hard outer layer of onion, the stems of parsley, etc. If you're not a vegetarian, the carcass of a chicken adds a richer texture and a lot of flavor.

I recommend not seasoning your bouillon with salt or pepper, since you can do that later when you're actually using it in a recipe.

Homemade chicken or vegetable stock

Makes approx. 1 gallon

Approximately 6 cups mixed vegetable peelings: carrots, leeks, celery, onions, potatoes. (I use a 1-gallon freezer bag and make stock as soon as it's full, so the "6 cups" is just a suggestion. The more vegetables you put in, the richer the flavor will be.)

1 chicken carcass (optional)

1 gallon water

1 bay leaf

5-6 parsley stems

Put all ingredients in a large pot; bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and simmer for at least one hour and up to three hours. (The longer, the better!) Skim as needed to remove froth. When stock is finished, strain into a large bowl and allow to cool at room temperature. Once stock has cooled, you can either store it in the refrigerator for a few days, or you can freeze it (I recommend freezing it in ice cube trays for easy dosing) for a few months. Bon appetit!