Hi Phil,

Hi Myrna,

So good to see you here my Friend, and I'm always glad to be of service. Fettuccine is a staple around here at my house, and I really like this particular Recipe, since it's lower in both Fat as well as Sodium.

As the weather turns Colder and Winter settles in, you all will notice that I'll be making a lot of Soups and Stews. A homemade stock adds depth and body to soup, stews, and braises. Homemade stock provides a background to soup, so the ingredients you choose should be supportive, not overwhelming. Yesterday's, or even last week's, vegetables are fine, as long as they're still healthy. The beauty of stock ingredients is that the ideal ingredients are quite often the trimmings from the soup you're about to make (leek roots and leaves, tiny, end-of-the-head garlic cloves, potato parings, celery leaves, parsley stems, etc.)

Use a stockpot that is tall and narrow to help slow water loss from evaporation. To extract the most flavor from your stock ingredients, start with cold water. Meat stocks benefit from long, slow cooking while vegetable stocks do not. While quick vegetable stocks should take 25 to 30 minutes; basic vegetable stocks, 45 minutes to one hour and chicken or beef stocks can take anywhere from one hour to five--longer if you're using a slow cooker. Remember, certain herbs and vegetables will turn bitter as they steep, so strain as soon as the stock is finished.

Some vegetables should be avoided altogether in stocks. For example, the cabbage family (turnips, rutabagas, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, etc.) does not do well in stock. Nor do most powdered herbs, ground black pepper, artichoke trimmings, or too many greens. Use whole peppercorns and bay leaves, as these are easy to strain out.

Cool your strained stock by filling the kitchen sink with ice water. Place the pot in the cold water bath, and stir every once in awhile, or until the broth is tepid. You can safely store in the refrigerator for up to five days, or in the freezer for up to three months.

I'll start off tonight with a good basic Vegetable Stock, which is of course, perfect for us Vegetarians. Then tomorrow I'll feature my basic Beef & Chicken Stock.

Basic Vegetable Stock

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion
• 2 stalks celery, including some leaves
• 2 large carrots
• 1 bunch green onions, chopped
• 8 cloves garlic, minced
• 8 sprigs fresh parsley
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 quarts water

Directions

1. Chop scrubbed vegetables into 1-inch chunks. Remember, the greater the surface area, the more quickly vegetables will yield their flavor.
2. Heat oil in a soup pot. Add onion, celery, carrots, scallions, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves. Cook over high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, stirring frequently.
3. Add salt and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Strain. Discard vegetables.
4. Other ingredients to consider: mushrooms, eggplant, asparagus (butt ends), corn cobs, fennel (stalks and trimmings), bell peppers, pea pods, chard (stems and leaves), celery root parings, marjoram (stems and leaves), basil, potato parings . I think that you probably get the idea.

Have A Restful Evening My Friend,

Phil

Hi Friends,

As promised yesterday, first today, we'll have my favorte recipes for Beef Stock and for Chicken Stock. Then, as a Treat, we'll have a little something different with Onions.

Basic Beef Stock

Ingredients

• 6 pounds beef soup bones
• 1 large onion
• 3 large carrots
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 stalks celery, including some leaves
• 1 large tomato
• 1/2 cup chopped parsnip
• 1/2 cup cubed potatoes
• 8 whole black peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons dried thyme
• 2 cloves garlic
• 12 cups water

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C). Slice onion. Chop scrubbed celery and carrots into 1-inch chunks. In a large shallow roasting pan place soup bones, onion, and carrots. Bake, uncovered, about 30 minutes or until the bones are well browned, turning occasionally.
2. Drain off fat. Place the browned bones, onion, and carrots in a large soup pot or Dutch oven. Pour 1/2 cup water into the roasting pan and rinse. Pour this liquid into soup pot. Add celery, tomato, parsnips, potato parings, peppercorns, parsley, bay leaf, salt, thyme, and garlic. Add the 12 cups water.
3. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer for 5 hours. Strain stock. Discard meat, vegetables, and seasonings.
4. To clarify stock for clear soup: In order to remove solid flecks that are too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, combine 1/4 cup cold water, 1 egg white, and 1 crushed eggshell. Add to strained stock. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.

Basic Chicken Stock

Ingredients

• 1 pound chicken parts
• 1 large onion
• 3 stalks celery, including some leaves
• 1 large carrot
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 3 whole cloves
• 6 cups water
• 1/4 cup cold water (optional)
• 1 egg

Directions

1. Quarter onion. Chop scrubbed celery and carrot into 1 inch chunks. Place chicken pieces, onion, celery, carrot, salt, and cloves in large soup pot or Dutch oven. Add 6 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 1 hour.
2. Remove chicken and vegetables. Strain stock. Skim fat off the surface.
3. To clarify stock for clear soup, removing solid flecks that are too small to be strained out with cheesecloth, follow this method. Separate the egg white from the egg yolk, and reserve the shell. In a small bowl, combine 1/4 cup cold water, egg white, and crushed eggshell. Add to strained stock, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Strain again through a sieve lined with cheesecloth.

Now, as promised, a little something different with an Onion. These Onions are first stuffed with a mixture of rice, sausage, bell pepper, cream cheese and herbs, and then baked. Delicious to eat, but not suggested for a Date Night. Of course, this tastes best using Vidalia onions, whenever they are in season

Baked Stuffed Onions

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup uncooked white rice
• 6 large Vidalia onions
• 3/4 pound ground spicy pork sausage
• 1/4 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease a baking dish.
2. In a saucepan bring 1 cup water to a boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Peel onions and slice off the tops; boil for 12 to 15 minutes, or until tender but not mushy. Drain, cool and remove the centers, leaving the shell intact. Chop onion centers and reserve 1/2 cup.
3. Place sausage in a large, deep skillet. Cook over medium high heat until evenly brown. Drain and set aside, reserving drippings. Saute green pepper and 1/2 cup chopped onion in sausage drippings.
4. In a large bowl combine green pepper, onion, sausage, egg, 1 cup cooked rice, cream cheese, oregano and parsley. Spoon mixture into onion shells and place in prepared dish. Combine melted butter and paprika; brush tops of onions.
5. Cover and bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Uncover, and bake an additional 5 minutes.

Have A Terrific Thursday,

Phil

Hi Phil,

Me thinks you went overboard with all you recipes. I sure do appreciate the ones for making stock. My mother always said the best stock comes from the bones. I got a large bone a few weeks ago and made a big pot of vegetable soup. It was great. I cooked that bone until it feel apart.

I use very little of any kind of canned products, I trust my cooking more. lol

Happy Thursday Phil, I couldn't decide whether to post this recipe here or in you joke forum and finally decided to post it here. :) This one is in honor of my wonderful engineer son-in-law. :)