Chicken Broth

Makes two to three quarts

Thank you Michael Flanagan, chef at Michael’s Good to Go, for teaching me how to make a great chicken broth! With this approach, you don’t cook the heck out of the meat which means you can use it for another meal or to make a nice, meaty chicken soup.

4 to 5 pounds chicken with the bone on (Michael recommends leg quarters because they are inexpensive and have the most flavorful meat)

2 Bay Leafs (Michael typically uses ginger and some garlic)

In a large stock pot, cover the chicken with water (one inch above the chicken) and add the bay leaves. Bring to a boil and then turn down to a very slow simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off foam as it forms. After 45 minutes when the chicken is cooked, remove it from the pot, cool slightly, and pick off all of the meat. You can freeze the meat for later use. Return the skin and bones to the pot, bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer, and cook for 3 to 4 more hours. Season the broth with salt to taste. Only when the broth is seasoned will it have a delicious, rich flavor. Strain the broth through a fine mesh sieve. Allow to cool in the refrigerator so that you can scrap off the chicken fat. Freeze the fat for future use (perhaps making confit). Use the broth immediately or freeze in a variety of size options (ice cube tray, small or large zip lock freezer bags) for quick and handy broth when you need it.

Ideas for Meals that Start with Chicken Broth

Put some kimchee in the bottom of a soup bowl, add some cooked soba or rice noodles, and pouring hot seasoned broth over that. If you have chicken, add some meat as well.

For a traditional chicken soup, add some sliced carrots and celery to the broth, bring to a boil, return to a simmer for 10 minutes. Rather than cooking the noodles in the broth (they get soggy and mushy), cook them separately in water and add them to individual soup bowls at serving time.

Nancy and Dave's Homemade Yogurt

Heat whole milk up to 190 degrees. Our experience and references suggest that this temperature does not have to be precise. Some people we’ve talked to shoot for 145 degrees or “the temperature of a cow.” We've accidentally let it get to 200 with fine results.

Let it cool to 110 degrees. (This is the part that takes the most amount of "active" time). Check it often and have your jars ready for filling when the temperature hits 110.

Put 1 tablespoon of starter into a clean (not sterilized) quart jar. Starter is any live culture yogurt, like Butterworks or Stonyfield. (Check the label and make sure it says “live culture”). We use 1 QT mason jars. We assume plastic would work, but can't verify. If you want to make smaller or larger batches, adjust your starter ratio accordingly.

Pour milk into jars. Is okay to add the fat that forms as skim at the top of the milk.

Cap and put somewhere where the temp will remain at 110. Don't jiggle it much from this point on; this is important!. For some reason the yogurt is sensitive to jostling during this period and should be handled gently until it is done.

To keep the temperature at 110 F, we use an insulated cooler filled with a layer of boiled water on the bottom (we raise the jars off the bottom using canning rings to prevent the hot water from touching the jars) and we put a hot water bottle on top of all of the jars and close the top. We’ll put it in the sun or near the woodstove. Some folks simply put the jars on the top of a hot water heater.

Check the batch after 4 hours. If runny, let it be. We've left ours up to 10 hours, but usually its ready by 6 hours. You are looking for consistency and taste. Longer times make the yogurt more sour. (Sourer?!), but don’t worry too much about this. Ours always tastes great, even after many hours of fermenting.

Tips:

-Be sure to save enough of your yogurt to start the following batch.

-One gallon of milk will produce one gallon of yogurt.

-If you want to add fruits, vanilla etc, do it at the end after it is all set but is fine to experiment.

Robin's Homemade Yogurt

Robin's Recipe Adapted from Nancy and Dave's Recipe

Makes four quarts

Our friends Nancy Turner and Dave Cain taught us how to make yogurt using a simple, fool-proof method that makes the best yogurt we have ever had. All you need is a thermometer, a picnic cooler, and some glass jars.

1 gallon of organic whole milk (not ultrapasteurized)

6 oz of plain yogurt (This seems to be the most critical variable as different yogurts are made with different bacterias – we have the most success with a local water buffalo yogurt. It produces a firm but creamy yogurt.)

Heat the milk over medium heat to 180-190 degrees. Remove from the heat and allow to cool to 110 to 115 degrees. In the meantime, prepare the picnic cooler and jars. For the picnic cooler, fill to 5” with hot water (130 degrees or so). Keep the lid closed so that it stays warm. Clean 4 quart wide mouthed canning jars with soap and water and put 1T of yogurt in each.

When the temperature of the milk is between 110°-115°F degrees, pour into the four canning jars and put the lids on them. No need to stir or mix at all. Check the temperature of the water bath and add cool water to bring the temperature to 115° to 120°F if necessary. Put the filled jars into the cooler. Make sure that the water goes up to the neck of the jars. Wedge the thermometer between the jars and cover.

Check the temperature of the cooler water every couple of hours. If it goes below 100 degrees, remove some water and add more hot water. The yogurt should be thick after 8 to 10 hours, but it can go for as long as 24 hours. I have heard that 24 hours eases digestion for lactose intolerant people.