Most Requested... French Onion Soup

"Award Winning French Onion Soup"

Kim Foster Schonefeld

This recipe makes a pot of soup that serves 6. I triple it if I am going to can it that way I get 7 quarts with enough left over for lunch or dinner. 

Ingredients: 

6 large yellow onions (sliced thin), 

2 tablespoons olive oil,

1 carton each or 32.oz home made chicken broth and beef broth, 

1 cup sherry, 

1/2 teaspoon salt, 

1/4 teaspoon pepper, 

1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic, 

2 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme, 

1 bay leaf, 

Directions:

In a large stock pot over medium heat, caramelize onions in oil until dark golden brown. 

Add sherry; cook for 6 minutes stirring often. 

Add chicken and beef stocks, salt, pepper, thyme, bay leaf and garlic. 

Simmer 45 minutes. 

Serve: Pour soup into oven safe crock or bowl; top with nice thick slice of crusty bread and a slice of cheese. Bake in a 350. degree oven until cheese is melted and slightly browned.

For canning, use a slotted spoon and funnel to gather onions from stock pot and place in sterilized jars equally. Then ladle the soup into jars leaving 1" head space. (Do not add bread and cheese until opening to serve as suggested above). 

PC 90 Minutes for quarts 75 minutes for pints.

Broth & Stock... Bone Stock and Bone Meal

Bone Stock and Bone Meal

By Kelly Kindle Cheney

Be the master of the bird and don't waste a thing.

Get your money's worth out of any meat bones. The difference between stock and broth is stock is made with bones, broth is made with meat only. Stock is much richer and will even turn into a gelatin if very concentrated.

After roasting a turkey, chicken or bone in beef or pork cut, remove most of the meat. Or if canning raw pack just get off as much as you can. At this point you can roast the bones for an hour or so; this will deepen the flavor even more but is not necessary.

Place in large pot and mostly cover with water. Add *veggies (carrots, onion, celery) and herbs and salt and pepper ­ no sage as it gets bitter when canned ­ and bring just barely to a boil. Turn down and simmer at least 8 hours or overnight. Strain and refrigerate the stock so the fat can be peeled off. (It will come to the top and harden.)

Toss that sucker in there again with some fresh water and more veggies and seasonings. Rinse and repeat. Okay, don't really rinse, just a figure of speech. I mix all my batches together and give a final seasoning if needed. That way they are all the same strength and you don't have to guess when canning.

Continue this process until the bones are brittle. When you can break them with your hand they have given their all.

Strain several times. You will need to clarify at this point if you want it to look like store bought. I don't bother. 

Pressure can @ 10 lbs 20 minutes pints and 25 for quarts.

Toss the bones in the blender or processor and grind into a paste. Spread out on some paraflex sheets and dehydrate until dry. (You can also do this on a baking sheet with parchment paper. Lowest setting and leave the door cracked.) When dry you can whiz again or break up with your hands. Your garden will love you!

Bone meal is $17.00 a pound!!

* I save all my veggie scraps in a zip lock in the freezer. Onion peels give a nice golden color; save all but the root end. If you peel your carrots save that. Celery ­ cut the very end off and save the bottom. If veggies are past fresh eating those are perfect to save too. Just chop into large chunks. Save your parsley stems. All of this adds wonderful flavor. (I roasted garlic tonight and tossed those skins in the bag too!) 

I got 14 quarts of very rich stock and 7 pints of premium boneless meat out of a 25 pound turkey (raw pack) and two gallon zips of scraps. Plus the meal. 

Broth & Stock... Brodo

Brodo

Found on pinterest

Makes 3 quarts 

NOTE: Brodo is Italian for ‘broth’ - and it’s a thinner, less concentrated stock than the traditional chicken or beef stocks. Brodo is typically made from a mixture from beef and poultry.

3 pounds chopped, cracked, or sawed veal or beef bones (or a combination)

Bones from one chicken

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped

1 large leek, green top removed, cut up

1 large onion, peeled and chopped

1 stalk celery chopped

Green leafy ends cut from the tops of the head of celery

3 good sized stalks of parsley including stems

1 bay leaf

1 good sized sprig of thyme

1 large tomato cut in half and seeded

1 large clove garlic peeled and smashed

4 black whole peppercorns

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

Put everything into a large stock pot and cover with water.

Slowly bring to a boil. Lower heat to a really low simmer and cook for four hours uncovered.

Once done, strain and cool, discarding solids.

When completely cool, remove fat and discard.

Use immediately or freeze in zipper seal bags. Reboil when ready to use.

OR TO CAN: 

Reheat broth to boiling and fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Process pints for 20 mins and quarts for 25 mins at 10 lbs of pressure in a pressure canner.

Broth & Stock... Asian Chicken Stock

Asian Chicken Stock 

Found on pinterest

Makes 4 quarts 

3 pounds of chicken bones

5 pound chicken fryer

6 chicken feet, or 6 chicken necks, or one turkey wing

6 chicken wings

Enough hot tap water to cover

2 ½ ounce peeled and sliced ginger

1 full bunch of scallions

¼ onion peeled (about three ounces)

2 stalks celery cleaned and broken in half

½ bunch cilantro

1 tablespoon salt

6 black peppercorns

1 ½ gallons cold water

In a large stock pot, place chicken bones, fryer, feet or necks or turkey wing and chicken wings. Fill with just enough hot water to cover. Quickly boil and simmer for five minutes. Strain and discard the water – this will remove most of the impurities from the stock. Wash the stock pot and return chicken products back to pot.

Place all other ingredients in with the chicken and fill with 1 ½ gallons of cold water. Slowly bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce heat and simmer for 4 hours, skimming occasionally.

Once the stock has simmered and reduced, strain and reserve stock for Asian recipes.

Stock may be frozen. (We use zip lock bags to freeze the stock and thaw out the stock as needed).

Pick the meat from the whole fryer and save for soup or other dishes. Discard all other solids.

TO CAN - 

Cool broth/stock and discard excess fat (either chill it where the fat solidifies or just skim it off with a spoon). Reheat broth to boiling and fill jars, leaving 1-inch headspace. Wipe rims of jars with a dampened clean paper towel. Assemble lids.

Process pints for 20 mins and quarts for 25 mins at 10 lbs of pressure in a pressure canner.

Good Fillings... Zucchini Mincemeat

Zucchini Mincemeat

Found on allrecipes

Original recipe makes 4 pints
Ingredients
· 6 cups peeled, chopped zucchini
· 6 cups apples - peeled, cored and chopped
· 2 cups raisins
· 1 cup dried currants
· 1 cup distilled white vinegar
· 1 orange, juiced and zested
· 2 cups brown sugar
· 2 cups white sugar
· 1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
· 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
· 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
· 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
· 1/2 teaspoon salt
· 2 tablespoons dry bread crumbs, if needed (optional)
· 4 (1 pint) canning jars with lids and rings


Directions
1. In a large pot over medium heat, stir together the zucchini, apples, raisins, currants, vinegar, orange juice, orange zest, brown sugar, white sugar, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, nutmeg, and salt. Stir until the sugar has dissolved, and allow the mixture to boil. Reduce heat to low, then simmer until thickened, 2 to 3 hours. For a thicker mincemeat, stir in the bread crumbs; simmer for 5 more minutes to absorb excess liquid.

2. Sterilize the jars and lids in boiling water for at least 5 minutes. Pack the mincemeat into the hot, sterilized jars, filling the jars to within 1/4 inch of the top. Run a knife or a thin spatula around the insides of the jars after they have been filled to remove any air bubbles. Wipe the rims of the jars with a moist paper towel to remove any food residue. Top with lids, and screw on rings.

3. Place a rack in the bottom of a large stockpot and fill halfway with water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then carefully lower the jars into the pot using a holder. Leave a 2 inch space between the jars. Pour in more boiling water if necessary until the water level is at least 1 inch above the tops of the jars. Bring the water to a full boil, cover the pot, and process for 10 minutes.

4. Remove the jars from the stockpot and place onto a cloth-covered or wood surface, several inches apart, until cool. Once cool, press the top of each lid with a finger, ensuring that the seal is tight (lid does not move up or down at all). Store in a cool, dark place.