White Stock
750g chicken bones, with any meat attached to them
3 litres water
4 whole cloves
2 onions, halved crossways
2 leeks, coarsely chopped
2 small carrots, coarsely chopped
1 celery stalk, coarsely sliced
bouquet garni (4 fresh parsley sprigs, 1 fresh thyme sprig, 1 bay leaf)
8 black peppercorns
To make bouquet garni, tie together herb sprigs with a piece of string or place in a muslin bag; if string is used the bouquet garni can be tied to the pan handles for easy removal.
Place meat and bones in a large saucepan or casserole, cover with water and let stand for 1 hour. Bring water to the boil over high hear, skim the surface. Lower heat and simmer until liquid is clear.
Stick cloves into onion halves and add to pan. Add remaining ingredients. Bring to the boil again, cover, lower heat and simmer very gently for 3 hours, skimming as necessary.
Remove bouquet garni and pour through a fine strainer, then refrigerate until cool. Spoon off any fat that solidified on surface. Cover tightly and store in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.
Makes about 2 litres.