EVERYBODY EATS: Take stock of your pantry

Every now and then I get the urge to completely reorganize my kitchen. I empty every cupboard, drawer and the pantry and imagine how I will put things back. In reality, I usually put everything back where it was.

It's not a total waste of time, though. Usually I find duplicates of ingredients that inspires cooking in an effort to beat expiration dates. Two weeks before Thanksgiving, I discovered I had 12 cans of chicken broth. Twelve!

I blame my childhood for my food hoarding. I grew up one of six children. Going to the grocery store was an adventure. Some people buy two cans of green beans; we'd buy 10. It was easy to go through a gallon of milk a day.

But my family of four doesn't need me to shop like I do. One of my resolutions for 2012 is to get a handle on our grocery bill. This means I buy what I need. No more stockpiling cans of broth. In this effort, I made chicken broth from scratch. Now I'm ready to make soup. If it ever gets chilly enough.

CHICKEN BROTH

Yield: About 2 quarts

4 pounds chicken wings, necks and thighs

2 medium onions

10 to 12 sprigs fresh parsley

2 carrots

2 stalks of celery

3 cloves garlic

10 black peppercorns

2 bay leaves

6 to 8 whole cloves

6 quarts cold water

Place the chicken in a colander and rinse with cold water. Allow to drain as you prepare the rest of the ingredients.

Cut the onions in half without peeling them. Add to a pot large enough to hold all ingredients. Wash the parsley, shake and remove excess water, and dry by rolling in paper towels. Coarsely chop and add to the pot. Scrub the carrots, cut into large chunks and add to the pot. Repeat with the celery. Add the garlic cloves, peppercorns, bay leaves and cloves.

Place the pot on the stove. Add the chicken and water. Bring the water to a boil over high heat. Skim any foam or impurities that rise to the top. Decrease the heat to a simmer. Continue to skim the stock as it cooks. Turn off the heat after two hours. Let stand for 10 minutes.

Drain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve or colander into a heatproof bowl or pan. After the contents have cooled, separate the chicken from the skin and bones, and reserve the meat for another use. Cover and chill the stock in the refrigerator. Remove any fat that has hardened at the top and discard. The stock is now ready to use.

Note: Always thaw frozen chicken stock overnight in the refrigerator or on the stovetop over medium heat.

Source: Teen Cuisine by Matthew Locricchio