Roast Chicken Day Two: Broth

As promised, I culled two dinners from the four-pound chicken I brought home the other day. The first was roasted breast with rosemary. Simple and delicious. The following day I submerged the carcass, with some of the dark meat still attached (and the rest chopped and set aside in the fridge) in a deep pot with about eight or nine cups of water. I added one onion quartered, one carrot cut down the middle lengthwise and then in half, a stalk of celery, and two parsnips cut in large chunks.

As directed by Alice Waters, I brought the pot to a boil, then immediately turned it down to a simmer. I skimmed off the foam, which she said can make the broth cloudy if allowed to stay. Mine ended up cloudy anyway, but that didn't seem to matter. I simmered it at medium-low heat for about five hours, adding a bit of salt every so often and giving it a stir.

The picture above is from the third hour.

The chicken carcass eventually broke down completely as the cartilage dissolved. When it was finished (and there's no exact time, but I think four hours is minimum) I strained it and threw away the bones and depleted vegetables.

I let the broth cool and skimmed off the fat. Meanwhile, I melted butter in a clean pan and sauteed some chopped onion, one carrot sliced, and, because we were both feeling a little sinusy, a lot of garlic (the cure for everything, I believe in my heart). I poured the skimmed broth back into the pan with the reserved dark meat from the day before and a generous teaspoon of oregano, more salt, and black pepper. I brought this to a boil, then added two big handfuls of fettuccine, broken into pieces. I wish I would have added a little more because I like a noodleful soup.

The main event here is the broth, though. It was so rich, so flavorful--I would have enjoyed it without anything in it at all.

Please go forth and do this immediately.