I've written before that the backbone of my kitchen is homemade stock.

Producing scratch stock in your home kitchen is the single most important step you can take to improve your cooking.

It's not difficult although it does take a fairly significant amount of time.

This formula relates to chicken stock

Ingredients:

10 lbs Chicken Backs

1 bunch Celery

5 each Bay leaves

4 each Onions,Yellow, cut in half

2 T. Peppercorns, Black

6 quarts Water, municipal

Method:

Part 1

* Heat oven to 300 degrees

* Place chicken backs in casserole pan

* Roast 2 hours

* Place half the vegetables in pan with chicken

* Roast 1 hour longer

* Method Part 2

* Place chicken, pepper, roasted vegetables and bay leaves in large vessel

* Cover with 6 quarts municipal water

* Bring to boil

* Dip out 2 cups of boiling liquid and use it to deglaze the pan you roasted the meat and vegetables in

* Add deglazing liquid to vessel

* Reduce to simmer

* Cook for 2 hours

* Add raw vegetables

* Cook 1 hour more

* Skim foam off surface as needed

* Strain stock into large vessel through colander

* Discard vegetable and bone matter

If possible refrigerate stock overnight so you can easily remove the fat from the surface of the liquid

Reserve the fat and utilize it as a medium for frying potatoes, it's incredible

You now have a delicious, homemade chicken stock that you can use as a base for almost anything.

King Ranch, Tortilla Soup, Vichyssoise...the list is endless.

When you're eating at a nice restaurant run by dedicated chefs and you're wondering how they're able to conjure so much flavor into their food be aware that you're eating a variety of delicious, scratch stocks that are essential to producing top level food

Bon appetit y'all