Basic Stock: a good place to start.

I grew up in northern British Columbia in the mountains near the ocean. I still close my eyes and I’m a passenger driving down the Skeena River watching the untouched scenery roll by. It’s an idyllic setting and incredibly isolated from the bustling city life fifteen hundred kilometers away. However, socially the area is incredibly diverse. People from around the globe found their way to the Canadian wilderness and they opened little restaurants that serve wonderful food made from the ingredients available.

My family took me to eat sushi when I was just old enough to speak in full sentences. We would eat disgusting looking but utterly delicious East Indian curries made from scratch on almost a weekly basis. There were Greek, Italian, and South African restaurants that we would sample and adore. Vietnamese food was served on sizzling dishes in a restaurant across from the water in Prince Rupert. It seems to me that cinnamon and star anise will forever fill the air in my dreams.

I could not cook and I was far more interested in eating. However, I eventually learned that more than half the joy in eating is found in the preparation.

I live in the city now. I’m older with more life experiences and there are things I won’t eat for X, Y, and Z reasons. I’d prefer to omit specifics. It’s not my place to dictate and lecture about my personal preferences. But I can say that my favourite discovery through cooking is that recipes can be adapted to suit the cook and eater.

Stock is a good place to start. You can make it your own easily enough. However, at its simplest it’s literally just mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions), aromatics (bay leaf, parsley, etc), and bones (optional) of some kind thrown together in a pot or pan. You just cover with water and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer. Wait for an hour or so, strain, store or serve.

It’s almost fool proof but don’t forget the salt. If you’re making a lot of stock a tablespoon should be just fine around the end of simmering. Add slowly, stir, and taste as you go. It’s easy to add but not so easy to take away.

I like to add green onions, garlic, black peppercorns, cilantro instead of parsley, cinnamon and star anise to my chicken stock. The stock adds a subtle Vietnamese twist to anything you’re cooking. But personally it brings be back to those days growing up when I wasn’t entirely certain what I was eating. All I knew is that whatever those exotic flavours were they were beautiful and they would forever influence my life.

#Stock #chicken #Vegatables