Christmas Vacation - Day 3

Monday morning I woke up at 7:15 AM. I warmed up another cup of coffee and checked the TV. It's still screwed up, so I called Brighthouse (my cable company) after posting the Blog. All I got was a recorded message saying, "Due to the high number of calls, we are unable to answer your call at this time. Please try again later!"

I did check the thermometer and it warmed up overnight: It's now 3 degrees F.! I divided the remaining porridge into thirds and warmed up a third for my breakfast. I ate it with butter and salt, again.

I took a shower and then went to run some errands. I left at 10:00 AM and it was 10 degrees F. (Coincidence? I think not!) The good news was they finally plowed my street. The bad news was the mound of snow now blocking my way out. I tried to just plow through it, but that didn't work. So, I got out the snow shovel and dug out the mound. Then I could get out.

So, I dropped the Blog for my Mother into the post office box and then swung by the Credit union for some money. Next I went to Kroger's, then Westborn Market and finally Home Depot. I had surmised that by going early on a Monday, the amount of shoppers would be less, but this was NOT the case. Kroger's, especially, was jam-packed. I finally got home at about 12:30 PM and started putting the stuff away.

I decided that with more snow predicted, leaving the driveway like that was dumb. And, since my back was still hurting from shoveling off the porch and the garage apron, I knew I couldn't really shovel the whole drive without crippling myself up (not exactly the way I want to spend the Holidays). So, I started calling local snow removal places I found on the Internet. Most of them asked me to leave a message, but I didn't. I wanted to talk to a person. So, I finally got one that answered and asked if he could plow me out. He said he'd be here in an hour.

I changed from my shopping clothes to my tile clothes and then made another ham and cheese sandwich for lunch. Before I get started on the tile, though, I need to get my stock on the stove. So, I rinsed off a four pound chicken I had thawed overnight and put it in the medium stockpot. I covered it with 1 1/2 quarts of cold water. Then I added a little salt, a half teaspoon of whole black peppercorns and a bouquet garni of parley and thyme that I tied with cooking string and tied the other end to the stockpot handle (so I can fish it out later). I threw in two bay leaves as well (I can never get them tied into the bouquet garni right). I brought it up to a boil and then turned it down to a simmer, skimming the foam (but not the fat) off several times. When I had all the foam off, I turned the timer on for one hour.

The snow plow guy's "hour" turned out to be almost three, but he finally called me at 3:30 PM to say he was on his way. He got here right at 4:00 and immediately started plowing. I was not so sure I liked that as we hadn't settled on a price yet (and I only had $55.00 in my wallet). But, he was done in 20 minutes. He came to the door and I thanked him and asked him what I owed him. He said, "15.00." I told him that wasn't enough and gave him $20.00. I did tell him about the mail man not delivering if he can't drive right next to the mailbox and he said he'd do that on his way out. He also told me to call him anytime, so it looks like I got this heavy snowfall stuff taken care of for this winter!

The one hour timer went off, so, using my tongs, I picked up the whole chicken and let it drain over the stock pot a bit. Then I put it on the plastic cutting board (I only use this for chicken - I guess Jake and poultry police have finally rubbed off on me) and cut off the two perfectly poached chicken breasts. I peeled off the skin and put it back in the stock pot. Damn that Shun knife is sharp, again!!! I set the timer for three more hours and put the rest of the chicken back in the pot. The two chicken breasts I left on a plate to cool (I'm thinking chicken salad, maybe...)

So, since tomorrow is garbage day, I was switching out the kitty litter, bagging up all the tile boxes and sweeping all the tile bits and partial tile up off the garage floor. I got that all done and am set for tomorrow morning! I tried the cable company for the third time and finally got through. She did reset the cable box, but it did not help. So, I've got a tech coming tomorrow between 1-3:00 PM.

At 6:00 PM, the timer went off again. So, I added my mirepoix (traditionally, two parts onion, one part carrot and one part celery), all just rough chopped and not peeled. I also added 1/2 head of garlic that I smashed with my hands, again not cut or peeled. I set the timer for the last hour and took a break to fill in the Blog.

So, let's recap: For making chicken stock, I usually let it go for 5 hours with a four pound chicken. I deliberately use very little salt in the beginning as it tends to concentrate as you reduce the water. There is a LOT of discussion on the temperature of the water. Ruhlman (who I admire greatly) says to never let it get above 180 degrees F. He even recommends putting the stock pot in a 180 degree oven instead of on the stove top. But, I have tried that method and the stock didn't reduce enough for my taste.

So, I use the Alice Waters (another favorite chef) method and get it to just under a boil (where you see an occasional bubble rise up and burst). This takes time and patience, however, playing with your stove. But, I think the result is worth it.

Another area of discussion is when you add the mirepoix. Most restaurant chefs add it in the beginning (as does my brother Carl and so does Alice Walters). But, here I side with Ruhlman and add it in only during the last hour only. He claims that the bones require a long cooking time, but the vegetables cooked that long will begin to break down and compromise the flavor and yield of the stock).

So, my timing is as follows: Chicken, seasoning and herbs, brought to a boil and then left at a high simmer. Collect all the foam but avoid pulling out the fat. After one hour, take out the chicken and removed the poached breasts. Put the rest of the chicken back in the pot. After four hours, add your mirepoix. And, at five hours, turn off the heat and let it cool. Remove and de-bone the chicken (if making chicken soup, for example, as I am tonight). Strain the stock through a sieve (or a colander) and discard the herb bundle, the bay leaves and all the mirepoix veggies. Put the stock you want to save into freezer containers (or ice-cube trays for small amount usage). Return the rest to the stock pot to make your chicken noodle (or chicken rice) soup.

So, that is where I was at 8:00 PM. The freezer containers are filled and sitting on my counter to cool. To the soup, I added another round of mirepoix and the chicken meat. Once they got happy I added some kluski noodles (this is on the advice of my barber, who is Polish). You can get them in the pasta aisle, BTW. They are smaller, but thicker and made of whole wheat and, she says, can stand up to freezing. We'll see. Finally I added 1/2 pound of white button cleaned and quartered. I love the earthy flavor mushrooms add to chicken soup.

Now, I get back to the tile project. I need to try and get the excess mortar off the tiles before I can grout them. This was no big deal on the counter top, but is a major undertaking in the shower. I bought two plastic putty knives for this today at Home Depot. I have tried using my metal putty knife (which works great) but it leaves marks on the tile. Damn! So does the plastic putty knives! I have one more trick up my sleeve. So I get my painter's knife and bingo! No marks. I finished cleaning the south wall and then quit for the day.

I get myself a bowl of the hot soup and my book and have an excellent dinner. In fact, I ate another bowl! I put the soup in a large Tupperware bowl and in the fridge and I labeled the three four-cup containers and put them in the freezer. I semi-cleaned up the kitchen (I'll wash the stock pots tomorrow morning) and took my book and myself to bed.