“Eating Savoury by Jimmy Boswell”

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All recipes are in imperial and metric so no conversion needed. 85 recipes, 135 pages with loads of pictures. 

Also includes charts on how to use and match herbs to meats and vegetables. Herb blends and loads of yummy savoury recipes.

Click this link to get your copy today. http://www.jimmyboswell.com/savoury_ebook.html

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I love using bay in my cooking. Given the Southern Italian (Sicilian) influence that is expressed in my cooking style the

Bay Leaves

use of bay in my stocks, soups and tomato sauces is a traditional herb for me to use. Bay leaf is also called bay laurel, sweet bay, sweet laurel and laurel leaf. Bay is probably the one herb that most cooks prefer using dried than fresh, which is that I do.

The bay laurel tree is native to Asia Minor but is now grown all over the Mediterraneanas it is well suited to warm climates of the region. There are two main types of bay leaf, Mediterranean bay leaf and the Californian bay leaf. The Californian bay leaf is much stronger in flavour and the Mediterranean bay.

The best place to store your Bay leaves is in a cool, dry place, away from bright light, heat and moisture. Bay is available fresh, dried whole leaves or ground dried leaves.

Add a bay leaf or two to marinades, stock, pâtés, stews, stuffing’s and curries. When poaching fish, add a bay leaf to the water.

Store and leaf or two with rice in a tight fitting jar and the leaf will impart its flavor to the rice when cooked. Don’t over use bay in dishes as it can make whatever you are cooking bitter if too much is used. In general, 1-2 good sized leaves will suffice. If they are medium to small I would use 4 in a stock due to the volume of water they are in.

Bay leaves greatly improve flavour if you are cutting down on salt. Try adding a bay leaf or two when you boil potatoes to replace salt. Always remember to remove the whole bay leaf after cooking in any dish.

Home-made chicken stock or soup in my view would not be homemade without a bay leaf or two. Don’t worry about using the fresh herb, the dried version is usually all that is needed.

Chicken Stock

You will often find chicken carcasses in the meat section at your supermarket. I usually purchase 3-4 at a time and if I am not going to make stock that day I will freeze them so I have them at hand for when I do need to make it. You can take the carcasses straight from the freezer and place in simmering water.

I quite often make chicken stock after roasting a chicken. I will use the carcasses that I have roasted and add 1 kg of fresh chicken wings which I usually purchase when on special and freeze them for this occasion. On special you can usually pick-op the chicken wings for about $4.00 per/kg.

Ingredients

2-3     chicken carcasses
6        garlic cloves cut in half
1        teaspoon whole pepper corns (about 6-8)
1        large onion cut in half
4        celery sticks cut into chunky pieces
2        large carrots chopped into chunky pieces
2        large or 4 medium to small dried bay leaves (you can use fresh if you have them
3        sprigs of fresh rosemary
4        sprigs of fresh parsley
3        sprigs of fresh thyme
3-6lts  cold water
salt to taste
Directions

Place the chicken carcasses, garlic, vegetables, herbs and peppercorns in a large soup or stock saucepan. Add the cold water and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling turn down to a simmer and skim any oil that have risen to the top.

Continue to simmer gentle heat for 3-4 hours, skimming the oils off the top as necessary. When the stock has been simmering for 3-4 hours turn off the heat then pass the stock through a fine sieve or several layers of mutton cloth to remove the ingredients.

Allow to cool for about an hour, then refrigerate. Once the stock is cold it should look clear with a slightly amber in colour. I usually divide it into small plastic containers at this point and freeze it, 500mlfits well in a sandwich zip-lock bag . It will keep in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days and in the freezer for 2-3 months.

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Out July 2012 


The New Zealand Gluten-Free Cookbook
AUTHOR: JIM BOSWELL 


Photography by Sean Shadbolt.


Publisher: Penguin NZ

For more information about the New Zealand release of The New Zealand Gluten-Free Cookbook my Jim Boswell click on this link.

http://www.penguin.co.nz/afa.asp?idWebPage=30233&ID=2060912&SID=783226913 

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This stock recipe is a combination of recipes from many years of making beef stocks. It has a rich and delicious flavour and will add incomparable depth to any soup or stew recipe and wow, does it make divine gravy with the addition of roast juices. While it takes a while it does produce a stock that people will remark about time and time again.

Ingredients

1              kg meaty beef bones (shank, short ribs, shin bones)
1              kg cracked beef bones (knuckle I find is best and your butcher can crack them for you)
2              carrots, chopped
2              celery stalks with leaves, cut into 5cm lengths
2              onions, cut in half
3-5           litres cold water
1              large can diced tomatoes, undrained
1-1/2       tsp. salt
1/2           cup chopped fresh parsley
6-8           whole peppercorns
4              dried bay leaves

Directions

Place all bones in a large roasting pan and roast at 200 degrees C for 30 minutes. Turn well then add carrots, celery and onions and roast for 45-60 minutes longer, until bones are very deep brown, stirring mixture occasionally.

Place roasted ingredients into a large stockpot. Spoon off fat from liquid in the roasting pan, then add 2 cups water to the drippings in roasting pan and heat and scrape to loosen any browned drippings. Add to pot along with remaining water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer partially covered for 1/2 hour. Skim off any residue (fats and oils) that rises to the surface. Add remaining ingredients and simmer partially covered for 3-5 hours.

Remove bones. Strain the stock and discard the ingredients and add more salt to season if needed. Cool uncovered in refrigerator. Skim fat from stock before using. This stock will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or will freeze up to 3-4 months. You can freeze it in ice cube trays, then pop out of the trays and store in a ziplock freezer bag.

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You will often find chicken carcasses in the meat section at your supermarket. I usually purchase 3-4 at a time and if I am not going to make stock that day I will freeze them so I have them at hand for when I do need to make it. You can take the carcasses straight from the freezer and place in simmering water.

I quite often make chicken stock after roasting a chicken. I will use the carcasses that I have roasted and add 1 kg of fresh chicken wings which I usually purchase when on special and freeze them for this occasion. On special you can usually pick-op the chicken wings for about $5.00-$6.00 per/kg.

Ingredients

2-3           chicken carcasses
6              garlic cloves cut in half
1              teaspoon whole pepper corns (about 6-8)
1              onion cut in half
4              celery sticks cut into chunky pieces
2              large carrots chopped into chunky pieces
4              bay fresh leaves
3              sprigs of fresh rosemary
4              sprigs of fresh parsley
3              sprigs of fresh thyme
3-5lts       cold water
salt to taste

Directions

Place the chicken carcasses, garlic, vegetables, herbs and peppercorns in a large soup or stock saucepan. Add the cold water and bring to the boil. Once it is boiling turn down to a simmer.

Continue to simmer gentle heat for 3-4 hours, skimming the oils off the top as necessary. When the stock has been simmering for 3-4 hours turn off the heat then pass the stock through a fine sieve or several layers of mutton cloth to remove the ingredients.

Allow to cool for about 2 hours, then refrigerate. Once the stock is cold it should look clear and slightly amber in colour. At this point I skim off any fats and oils that have solidified on the top. I usually divide it into small plastic containers at this point and freeze it. It will keep in the fridge for about 3 to 4 days and in the freezer for 2-3 months.

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Ingredients

2              large potatoes, thickly sliced
2 – 3         onions, quartered
4              cloves of garlic whole
3 – 4         carrots, thickly sliced
1              celery stalk, chopped
1              apple or pea, quartered
1 or 2       bay leaves
½            cup of fresh parsley
6-8           peppercorns
10            cups (2.5 litres) cold water
Directions

Scrub the unpeeled vegetables and cut into chunks. Place in a stockpot with the rest of the ingredients cover with the water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 1-2 hours.

Strain the stock through a colander or cloth, pressing out the liquid from the vegetables. (The remaining solid vegetables make good compost material.)

The stock will keep refrigerated for 3 to 4 days, or may be frozen for 3-4 months.

Note: Vegetables should be rinsed, but there is no need to peel them. Avoid such strongly flavored vegetables as broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, eggplant, peppers, and turnips.

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