Saturday Kitchen notes 13 August 2016

Feeling very virtuous today.  We had a lovely herb and butter whole chicken for tea, served with baked sweet potato for me and baked potato for the other half and plenty of different salad stuff.  Nice light meal for a hot day.

Despite both breasts going from the chicken still plenty  of chicken left for the picking and there is also the carcass to give plenty of stock.  That is to go to into the slow cooker with some veggies to make some stock that can then go into the freezer. preparing it in the slow cooker means I can leave it to do its own thing and produce lots of lovely stock.

If I am just using the stock for gravy I freeze into ice cube moulds and then just chuck a few into the gravy as I am making it.  If however I am using it for soup I freeze into small sauce bags  - I get mine from Lakeland  - they do two sizes but for stock I only use the smaller size.  

Stock is important  - a well flavoured stock makes a lovely gravy which is what always finishes a meal - my mum god bless her always used to say that it was the gravy that was the best part of the meal.  Its when I am making stocks or cooking generally that my mind goes back to my Nan's Rayburn.  I have my eye one day of having an Aga.  They are not just cookers they are a way of life and if you cook a lot a much needed requirement.  Its on my wish list.

I have since picked the chicken.  The chicken is in one bowl the carcass and other bits in another bowl.  Both are in the fridge waiting processing later on.

The carcass into stock and the chicken meat to be turned into potted chicken.  That way will get another meal out of the chicken and can probably serve this with another salad later on in the week or serve it with toast and chutney.  Either way it is a win win situation as I am getting quite a bit out of one medium sized chicken.  Waste not want not.

Then there is the stock to come to go into the freezer for another day.

I also bought more cherries.  I sat and stoned quite a few more large Kentish cherries - because they are quite big not as many to a jar as usual but they should be good.  Have prepared in a simple syrup.  I have six jars for my efforts to join my other preserves.  I Will if I can get some more during the week and process some more. 

I had to buy a new cherry stoner as my other one bit the dust and broke.  I have replaced it with a good grips cherry stoner which I must say is nicely sprung and is quick and easy to process the cherries.  My hands and nails sort of went purple and are slowly coming back to a paler shade.  I think I will have to give myself a manicure later on though.

I also managed to get some reduced cream so that is going to be turned into butter - probably some herb butters which can be frozen for use during the winter months but that will have to wait until tomorrow.

PP