Chicken Broth

Compliments of Jennifer the Great.

Richard and I tried making this down in Birmingham one time. It didn't go well. Come to find out it was probably just the lack of salt... whatever. Here it is.



Ingredients:
Chicken
- we used 4 leg quarters
Water
Vegetables and Herbs
-fresh oregano
-2 huge chunks peeled garlic
-one peeled onion, halved
-a handful of celery sticks
-a handful carrots, washed and cut into 3-4 inch pieces
-a few bay leaves
(salt after cooking)

With the chicken in a pot, add enough water to cover the chicken legs, plus a couple inches
- the more you simmer the water down, the more concentrated the flavor will be, but make
sure to add enough in the beginning to cover the chicken
Add the veggies and herbs
- using large chunks like this makes it easier to strain them all out later and get your pure
broth, especially with fresh herbs instead of dried!
Bring to a boil and simmer on medium low for 1.5 or 2 hours
Fish out the chicken, vegetables and spices, add salt
- Pick the meat off the chicken to use in the soup later!
- Note: the cooked carrots are deeelicious...
Refrigerate the broth overnight
- you'll see the fat rise to the top and thicken this way, making it easier to clean off the top
Skim off the fat
You've got fresh chicken broth!!



NOTE: This broth isn't delicious by itself!! It is a base for soups, etc. and will make those more flavorful as you spice it (see: soup recipes) and add ingredients

Baklava. The secret: buttuh

1) Walnuts
2) Layers
3) Bake
4) Syrup

This Greek Baklava is the fruit of my first cooking lesson with Jennifer, my New-Yorker-turned-southerner, classically trained chef (cook?), and future business partner. She came across the recipe while catering with a Greek woman, and has improved it with... butter.

2 lbs phyllo
3 lbs ground walnuts and/or pecans
1 c sugar
4-ish tablespoons cinnamon (to taste)
3 lbs melted butter (we only used 1.5)

Syrup:
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c water
2 c honey
2 T vanilla
a few cinnamon sticks

1) Walnuts: combine ground nuts, sugar and cinnamon

2) Layers: coat baking dish with thin layer of butter and start layering:
~3 layers phyllo (with butter between each)
- 1 layer of nut mixture
Repeat, ending with phyllo on top

3) Bake on 300 for 1 1/2 hours

4) Syrup: make a 'simple syrup' by boiling sugar and water with cinnamon sticks
When this thickens, remove the cinnamon sticks, add the honey, and reduce a little more

When reduced pour over hot pastry (out of the oven)

Cut and serve!

Gracie's Grilled Havarti

Luckily, when Jennifer and Grace gave me this recipe we happened to have a lot of the ingredients at home, either homemade or homegrown... but you could probably buy all of it. It is an absolutely delicious grilled cheese. Thanks Gracie!


Wholewheat bread, thickly sliced
Havarti cheese
Basil (one or two large freshly grown leaves)
Mayo
butter for the pan
Tomato, sliced

*melt butter in the pan
*quickly add bread
*lightly spread mayo on the other side of the bread
*stack other ingredients
*close sandwich and cook to taste!