Recently there was a local, tasty event called Regional Flavours which showcased a lot of wine and producers from the South East Queensland Area. While there were lots of wines, preserves, cheeses and other tasty morsels to sample, one of the most popular places was the Gourmet Stage. It featured a great line up including Ben O’Donoghue (TV Chef and co-owner of South Bank Surf Club) and MasterChef Series 2 contestants, Sharnee and Skye.
Below is a clip from Ben discussing some home economics. He makes the point that we throw away an incredible amount of food on a weekly basis, and if we took the time to add it all up, it could be as much as 20% of our food budget. For many families that’s a lot of money that simply gets thrown away. It’s also a lot of food, particularly when you add it up on a local and national scale.
One way around this food waste is to better utilise all parts of any fresh ingredients we use. A classic case is making chicken stock from a leftover roast chicken carcass. It doesn’t take hours and can certainly deliver a better tasting and much higher quality product than pre-packaged alternatives. So without further ado, here’s Ben to explain how…
In case you didn’t have a pen and paper ready, here’s the recipe:
Roast Chicken Stock
Ingredients
Leftover roast chicken carcass and bones
1 tomato, cut into wedges
1 small onion, cut into wedges
1 celery stick, cut into chunks
Some parsley sprigs
Method
Throw it all into a nice deep pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and let bubble away for 45 minutes to an hour. Turn the heat off and let the stock cool down. Strain it into a jug or container (Ben uses a milk jug – a great way to recycle) and freeze or put into the refrigerator if you will be using it in 3-4 days.
After the ‘show’ I managed to say a quick hello to Ben and catch a happy snap…
I was quite inspired by how easy something like this chicken stock can be and it makes great economic and health sense.
There are plenty of other ways we can enjoy the double benefits of economy and health in the kitchen. Any you’d like to contribute? Please let us know below.
