Having spent most of this evening sourcing and burning a playlist for K’s “class of 1977” school reunion, which takes place in Leek tomorrow night (while I attend a wedding in the village, pointy fingers primed for the covers band), I have ceded control of today’s blog post to my beloved. Well, it seems like a fair exchange.
So here, as posted on the village blog earlier today, is K’s classic, home-tested recipe for chicken stock, Aga-style. Ah, I can still taste it now…
I like to make stock overnight in the low oven of the Aga, but I always like to start it off for about 15 minutes in the top oven.
1. Combine all stock ingredients in a large pan and bring to a gentle boil on the boiling plate.
2. Skim and transfer to the top oven.
3. Take a phone call.
4. Go to the pub and marinate gently for several hours.
5. Return home to sleep off the marinade.
6. Breakfast with copious quantities of tea (sugar essential) to wash down maximum permitted dose of paracetamol. Notice how homely the teapot looks sitting on top of the Aga.
7. Use a liberal helping of coping strategies to get through the working day.
8. Return home feeling relieved that the marinade has now mellowed to an acceptable level so that you can actually look forward to making that soothing risotto with the chicken stock you made last night.
…….. Ahhhhh, THE CHICKEN STOCK……..
9. I suggest you allow the pan to cool for several hours before arranging the charred, desiccated carcass and vegetables in the bin.
10. Garnish with Gin and Tonic.
11. Return to pub for fish and chips.
I trust this has been instructive. Oh, and here’s that school reunion playlist in full: sourced almost entirely from hits from K’s final year in the sixth form, September 1976 to July 1977.
troubled diva 