Delicious Stock

this is a condensed-format recipe, designed for a pocket recipe book called "Learn to Cook" I made and gave out to random people at the Pike Market for a few months in 2009. some of the ingredients may be difficult to find outside of the market, and can be substituted or disregarded.

to be honest, this is a kind of involved stock. you can make simple soup stocks or complex ones and they'll all be good for what they are. this one will have nice nuance and a great depth and balance of flavors. but you can always just save vegetable scraps in your freezer for a week and throw that in simmering water, and that's a good stock too, with a more straightforward flavor.

makes over 20 servings for under $20
(scale the recipe down if you don't have a large stockpot at home)

7 lbs chicken backs (butcher)
4 shallots, med [peel]
1 yellow onion, med [peel & quarter]
[roast all these together w/ a little olive oil, salt & pepper at 425 for 30 min and then add to 2.5 gal water. simmer 4-5 hours]

3 black lemons (spice shop)
1 tsp tellicherry peppercorns (spice shop)
2 long pepper peppercorns (spice shop)
1 1/2 dried aji mirasol peppers (spice shop)
1 1/2 dried pasilla negro peppers (spice shop)
2 bay leaves
1 bu celery [wash & rough chop]
5 carrots [wash & rough chop]
[add all these and simmer 2 more hours]
[strain]

(this stock makes soup best finished with lemon juice. the black lemon spice is actually just dried lemon, which has a smoky flavor that's both bright and deep. that rich, dark lemon presence balanced with fresh lemon juice creates a delicious effect.)