Home made stock; gluten free.

Stock is very easy to make at home.  The best part is it can be made from the off cuts or scraps that we don't use in cooking so it is a very good way to make use of food that would other wise be wasted.  No matter what kind of stock you choose to make the process is identical so I will write directions for making it before creating lists of ingredients for the different kinds of stocks.

Directions:

Place all the ingredients into a pot and fill with water and boil.  Boil until the mixture has reduced to a quarter of the original amount. 1 litre of water will make 250mls final product.  Remove from heat and strain solids out of the liquid stock and throw away.


Vegetable stock - bits to include

Any peelings, off cuts, left overs and waste parts.

Chicken stock

Bones
Skin
Off cuts

Beef stock

Bones
Off cuts
Gristle
Excess fat

Fish stock

Bones
Heads
Off cuts.

Chicken soup; naturally gluten, dairy and egg free

Thought I'd share this yummy recipe.  Soups and stews are always a good option because they are naturally allergen friendly, unless you are allergic to veggies; and I know a lot of people who think they  are. Most soups and stews don't need stock or gravy powders providing you have have bones.  They are, by far, one of the easiest things to cook from scratch.  All you need to do is cut everything up and let it boil.  Although I would recommend using parts of the chicken that have larger bones as smaller ones can get lost in the soup and present a choking hazard.  Chicken thighs are ideal.  However you could make stock from scratch and add it too the soup rather then incorporate the stock creation into the soup process - and I will create a how to for home made stock.




Ingredients:

Chicken on the bone; 400g, diced with bones seperated
Small sweet potato; washed, unpeeled, and diced
Medium carrots; 2, diced
Mushrooms; 4, diced
Spinach; 2 handfuls, washed
Onion; 1/2, diced
Tin diced tomato; with juice
Small tin of sweetcorn
Sage; 1 1/2 teaspoons
Thyme; 1 1/2 teaspoons
Chives; 1 teaspoon
Garlic; 5 cloves, peeled and minced
Water

Directions:

Cook off the diced onion and the brown the diced chicken pieces.  Add the bones, root vegetables, sweetcorn, tomatoes, tomato juice and all herbs.  Top with water so that the veggies are covered and bring to a boil.  Simmer on medium for 45 minutes, uncovered, stirring occasionally.  Add the mushrooms and spinach and cook for a further 10 minutes.  The soup will be ready to serve; carefully remove the bones.

Back from Oxford with colour :)

Some of the views from around Oxford (pictures borrowed as mine all had people who don't want their pics used).  Didn't get to explore Oxford as much as possible this time because I was really there to see family.  Oxford is a huge city and much of it is composed of buildings from various different historical periods of England's history - this means there are a lot of very different building styles that quite literally give the city a visible architecture history; having gothic architecture in the same street as early Edwardian and Victorian buildings.  Which was quite interesting to see.  A lot of the building are college related as Oxford is historically an university city, extending back to the first universities in England a loooong time ago  Picture really don't give it justice.

Christ Church college

The Covered Market on the left, sadly hidden by it's modern stalls - it is really an historical building.  Honest.  And On the right is Cornmarket street, the main shopping district for Oxford

Views from Hythe bridge street, Hythe bridge street, Oxford





St Giles





The Trout Inn which we had lunch, Wolvercote, Oxford on the Thames.