Chicken, Beef, and Vegetable Stock

Stock is called for in various recipes for cooking chicken or gravy, as a base for soups and Heidi Gunderson's "soy sauce" coming soon (check website, too:  migrainefreecooking.com), and can be substituted for water when cooking rice or quinoa.  We started buying whole cut-up chickens for grilling, and the backbone and neck come included for cooking stock.  When we roast a whole chicken, we save the carcass for stock.  For for making beef stock, cut-up bone can often be bought in the butcher section at the grocery store.  For vegetable stock, the base is chopped tomatoes.  I made some vegetable stock, but never use it.  Of course it would be great for vegetarians.  I use a couple of 8-cup glass measuring cups for cooling the meat stocks.  The method shown here is based on Delia Smith's Cookery Course (see references).

Chicken Stock
1 broken-up bird carcass
5 c cold water or enough to cover carcass
1 carrot, cut in chunks (more if not using parsnip)
1 bunch (~5) green onions or 3 shallots, cut in chunks
1 celery stalk, cut into large chunks
1 leek, cleaned & cut into chunks (or more onions instead)
1 parsnip, cut into chunks, optional
8 whole black peppercorns 
a few parsley stalks
a pinch of thyme
1/2 heaping t salt

1.  Put everything in a large pot (tall and skinny is better than short and wide); bring to a boil; skim scum off top.
2.  Reduce heat, simmer with lid slightly off for 2 hr.
3.  Strain through a sieve into glass bowl or measuring cup.  Discard everything in the sieve.  Cool in fridge over night, uncovered.
4.  Skim fat off top and discard.  Don't worry about whether the chicken stock came out gelatinous or not.  It's great if it does. 
5.  Freeze leftovers.   I like to use 1 and 2-c size containers.

Beef Stock
3 lb beef marrowbones, in pieces
Same vegetables, herbs, and seasoning as chicken stock above, plus
2 additional stalks of celery (3 total)
1 bay leaf
5 c cold water

1.  Optional, for dark stock:  Roast bones with vegetables in a roasting pan on top shelf of oven for 45 min at 450 deg; baste occasionally.  Bone and vegetables will be brown on edges when done.
2.  Place everything from roasting pan into stock pot.  Add water, herbs, and seasoning.
3.  Simmer with lid slightly off for 2 hr.
4.  Follow chicken directions 3-5 for cooling, skimming fat, and storing.  Beef fat will not be gelatinous.  Beef stock is the base for Heidi's Gunderson's "soy sauce".
 
Vegetable Stock
5 c cold water
Same vegetables, herbs, and seasoning as chicken or beef stock above
 
1. Put everything in a large pot and bring to a boil.
2. Reduce heat, simmer with lid slightly off for 2 hr.
3. Strain into glass bowl or measuring cup. Cool to room temperature.
5. Freeze leftovers.

Apple, Blueberry, and Rhubarb Pies

Last year we visited Mackinaw, Michigan, and they had homemade pies everywhere.  The fresh sweetness of the fruit and the comforting, buttery crust were the prefect finale to dinner. Those pies inspired me to start making pies. 

After I made this apple pie a couple of times, I went ahead and bought one of those apple corers/slicers/peelers.  Crank the handle a few times and your apple is ready.  It's a great time saver.  The crust recipe is from "Dinner in Minutes" and the rhubarb pie is adapted from allrecipes.com (see references). 

Pie Crust:
2 c flour
1 t salt
1 T sugar, optional
12 T (1 1/2 sticks) butter
4 oz (1/2 package) cream cheese
¼ c + 2T ice water
optional:  milk, sugar for top of crust

I use a stand-alone mixer.  If you use a food processor, follow directions written for a processor.
1. Put flour, salt, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cut butter and cream cheese in small slices into the flour mix.
2. Mix at low speed until dough resembles bread crumbs.
3. Add a little water, mix at low speed; repeat until dough forms one big ball.
4. Knead slightly with hands. Don’t overknead.
5. Split in half, cover (wrap in plastic wrap), and chill in refrigerator for at least 20 min.

Apple Filling:
6 c or 3 lb apples, peeled and sliced
2T flour (or tapioca flakes)
3/4 c brown sugar
1 t cinnamon
½ t nutmeg
¼ t each of mace, cloves, and allspice
1 T butter

Blueberry Filling:
¼ c four (or tapioca flakes)
1 c brown sugar
1 T butter
For Apple or Blueberry Pie:

Bake at 400 deg F, 40-50 min
1. Preheat oven and mix all ingredients except butter together. Let sit 15 min.
2. Lay rolled pie crust on bottom of pie pan. Pour in apple or blueberry mix.
3. Dot with butter.
4. Optional: Lay top crust over fruit. Sprinkle with sugar and cut small holes for venting.
5.  Bake

Rhubarb Filling:
4 c rhubarb, chopped
1/4 c flour
1 c brown sugar

For Rhubarb Pie:

Bake at 450 deg F, 15 min;  reduce to 350 deg F, bake 40-45 min
1.  Preheat oven and  mix flour and sugar in a small bowl. Keep rhubarb separate.
2.  Lay rolled pie crust on bottom of pie pan.  Spread 1/4 of sugar and flour onto bottom of pie crust, then the rhubard, then sprinkle the remaining sugar and flour on top.
3.  Roll out pie crust top and lay over the fruit filling.
4.  Optional:  Brush top of crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar.  Raw sugar or demarera sugar work well.
5.  Bake.

Cheesecake

This is my husband's and my birthday cake. This cheesecake is delicious, though rich enough that a small slice will do, and doesn't call for any sour cream. It's based on Delia Smith's from her "Complete Cookery Course" (see References). She's a well known chef in the UK. Since my mother-in-law's cooking is so wonderful and she uses it, I picked up a copy for myself.

I made this recipe with brown sugar this time. It has more of a caramel taste. When it's made with white sugar, it has the familiar, classic cheesecake taste.

Crust:
6 oz shortbread cookies, ginger snaps, or tea biscuits (check ingredients)
6 T butter

Filling:
1 1/2 lb cream cheese (3 packages), softened (knead if straight out of fridge)
3 eggs
1/2 c + 2T white or brown sugar
1 t vanilla
Optional: fruit (strawberries, blueberries, or kiwi peeled and sliced)

Bake at 300 degrees for 30 min. Chill at least 2 hr.
1. Preheat oven. Melt butter and crush cookies. Stir cookie crumbs into butter. Spread and press into bottom and sides of pie pan or cheese cake pan to form the crust.
2. In electric mixer, mix cream cheese, eggs, sugar, and vanilla until creamy smooth.
3. Pour filling into the crust. Bake (see "bake" above). Next, turn oven off and let pie cool inside the oven. Then chill at least 2 hr in fridge to make firm. Optional: top with fruit.

If you use a cheese cake tin, Delia says you soak a clean dish towel in hot water, wrap it around the sides of the tin and hold for a few seconds, then lift the base out.

Pizza

Pizza is frequent dinner fare at our house. The kids can help by sprinkling on toppings they like, once they're convinced this is fun.

Jamie Oliver's grape rosemary pizza is so delicious it deserves special mention.  Ingredients for a migraine-free version are shown below.  (Jamie's site:  http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/pizza-recipes/red-grape-pizza-with-honey-rosemary-and).

For each pizza:

1-2 large tortillas, depending on amount of toppings (check ingredients)
1/2 c tomato sauce (see "Staples")
sliced American cheese
1 T fresh basil or 1 t dried

Pizza topping suggestion:
1/4 chopped red, orange, or yellow bell pepper
8 olives, roughly chopped, Kalamata or black (check ingredients)

Other toppings you could use:
carmelized shallots(cook in olive oil and/or butter at low sizzle for 15 min, will be translucent or browned on edges, lightly salt),
hamburger,
cooked spinach (1 min in boiling water with lid off),
mushrooms,
cooked broccoli,
roasted asparagus,
sauteed shallots,
sprouts,
dabs of ricotta cheese.

No tomato sauce:  basil pesto could be used as a base instead (basil, olive oil, and roasted pine nuts blended in a food processor or with morter and pestle)

Toppings for rosemary grape pizza:
(No tomato sauce)
1 large sprig fresh rosemary cut and crushed together with extra virgin olive oil
sliced American cheese
1 t honey drizzled off the end of an oval teaspoon
half a handfull of red seedless grapes, halved

General Pizza directions:
Bake at 400 degrees, 15 min.
1. Preheat oven.  Lightly brown torillas in medium size fry pan on stovetop with olive oil or butter to make a crispy crust.  Pizza's will be soggy without this step. 
2. Place tortillas on baking sheet. Spread tomato sauce, then sprinkle on cheese and basil.  Alternatives with no tomato sauce:  Jamie Oliver's pizza above, basil pesto pizza above.
3. Add pizza toppings. Bake (see "Bake" above) until cheese is melted and crust is crisp.

Spaghetti

tomato sauce recipe (see "Staples")
12 oz whole wheat spaghetti noodles
Optional:
a few slices of fresh mozerella log, cut into small cubes
basil

1. Top cooked noodles with tomato sauce. I like including the optional beef, carrots, and zucchini to make a hearty spaghetti Balinese, like Mrs. Buchholz does in her recipe in "Heal Your Headache".
2. If desired, top servings with cubed mozzarella and sprinkle with fresh or dried basil. Microwave individual servings to melt cheese.

Tomato Sauce

I wish I could post aromas. There's a tradeoff when switching to cooking from scratch instead of grabbing pre-made items off the grocery store shelf. Benefits of cooking, besides better health, are the scent of sizzling shallots or simmering tomato sauce and the fresh, delicate taste of this sauce. I often make double batches and freeze the rest for later. For making a couple personal size pizzas later, freeze sauce in 1 c containers.

Ingredients

Optional, any or all:
1 lb ground beef (ground round works nicely, it's 15% fat)
1 carrot, finely shredded
1 zucchini, finely shredded
1 celery stalk, chopped

Basic sauce:
3 shallots, chopped
2 T olive oil
3 large tomatoes, mixed smooth in blender
14 oz can diced tomatoes or Roma tomatoes (or 3 more large tomatoes blended if tomatoes are in season)
1 t salt
½ t fresh ground pepper
1 t basil
1 t oregano
¼ t thyme
1 bay leaf
A pinch of garlic powder

Quick Sauce:
Same as basic sauce, except use a 14 oz can of tomatoes and 12 oz tomato paste. Simmer only 20 min, adding water as needed.

Directions

Optional:
1. Brown hamburger with shallots in large, deep skillet. Add carrot, zucchini, and celery and simmer 3 min.
Or:
1. Heat olive oil in large pot on medium heat. Cook onions until tender, about 6-8 min., never reaching more than a slow sizzle.
2. Add remaining ingredients. Simmer uncovered 30 min. for 3 fresh tomatoes and 60 min for 6 fresh tomatoes, stirring occasionally. Remove bay leaf.

Jamaican Jerk Chicken

This is adapted from a cookbook called "Dinner in Minutes,"* about which we joke, "How many minutes?" This recipe is, however, pretty quick and one of our favorites. When it's not good weather for grilling, this sauted recipe is just as much a treat.

In her latest cookbook, Julia Child* uses clarified butter (ghee) for sauteing. Due to a higher smoke point, it doesn't burn as easily as olive oil or butter. Instructions for making your own clarified butter can be found on the web. We purchased a jar at an Indian market for much less than the same amount of butter would have been.

1 shallot, chopped
1T+1t brown sugar
2 t freshly ground pepper
1 t salt
½ t nutmeg
2 t thyme
¼ t allspice

2T olive oil or clarified butter
4 chicken breasts

1. In a small mixing bowl, mix shallot, thyme, sugar, pepper, salt, nutmeg, and allspice. Poke holes in chicken, rub seasoning onto both sides of the meat with a soup spoon and your hand.
2. Marinate 20 min. to several hours. I avoid marinating as long as 24 hrs since some sources report increased tyramine levels as meat is marinated longer.
3. Heat oil or ghee in skillet. Sauté chicken on each side 5-10 min. (medium high heat for for 5 min, then medium). Be sure to brown the meat and carmelize the shallots. Test thickest part of chicken for doneness with meat thermometer or slicing open. Juices should run clear, and there should be no pink. Meat will still be juicy and moist.

Top chicken pieces with a generous portion of pan scrapings when serving! Brown rice and carrots or green beans accompany this dish well, with more pan scrapings on the rice. *(Linda Gassenheimer, 1995; Julia Child, 2009)