Straightforward Chicken Broth

Making broth from scratch is one of those almost-lost domestic arts. Which is a shame, because once you get in the swing of it, it's one of those household routines which reap a lot from a minimum of effort. That being said, it is a *big* pain to set out to make broth by going to the store and buying a chicken and a long list of special vegetables, and making a whole big Project out of it. There is a better way.

1. Have a roast chicken for dinner. That's so easy! Take it out of the bag, take out its innards, rinse and pat it dry, then stuff it with almost anything--three celery stalks, or two lemon halves, or a carrot and an onion, or if you want to be special and fancy, half a cup of currants, a handful of dried thyme, and some crushed garlic cloves. ALWAYS grind some sea salt on top.

2. After dinner, throw the whole leftover chicken carcass, and any of its stuffing vegetables, into your stockpot (don't include citrus here). Depending on what you roasted your chicken with, you will need to add to your pot until you have the following: an onion, a carrot, several celery stalks, and some garlic cloves. Seriously, that's it. I also scour the fridge for anything that might be available--leftover cooked sweet or white potatoes, wilting green onions, etc. Just don't add anything in the cruciferous family.

3. Fill your pot with water to cover everything, add a handful of salt, and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and let it go for an hour. Take it off the heat, let cool a little, then strain out the solids and let sit overnight in the fridge so the fat can solidify at the top,

4. You're done. You have a big pot of your very own stock to use in anything at all!