Chicken Stock

1 chicken carcass
4 cups cold water
1 small onion, chopped
2 stalks celery coarsely chopped
handful of fresh parsley
2 bay leaves
½ teaspoon dried or 1 sprig of fresh thyme
½ teaspoon salt
6 peppercorns

Place the bones in a large stock pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Stir the pot occasionally and skim off the white foam. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for an hour. Skim foam again before adding next ingredients. Add a small chopped onion, 2 stalks coarsely chopped celery, a handful of fresh parsley, salt, peppercorns, two bay leaves, and ½ teaspoon dried thyme or two sprigs of fresh. Simmer for two hours, stirring occasionally and skim off the white foam. Add water if the level goes below the bones. Transfer bones and chicken parts to a large bowl and allow cooling in the refrigerator before removing the meat from the bones. Pour the stock into a 4-cup oil-separating measuring cup (such as the one manufactured by Oxo) to allow the stock and oil to separate. Let stand for a few minutes for the oil to come to the top. Strain stock through a fine-wire mesh sieve, leaving the oil in the measuring cup. When the carcass is cool, remove remaining meat from bones and reserve for soup.

Corn Chowder

4 cups chicken stock from recipe above or canned stock
2 baked potatoes
2 tablespoons canola or olive oil
1 sprig of fresh thyme
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 cup chopped carrots
1 red bell pepper
1 medium onion, chopped
2 stalks celery chopped
1 cup frozen corn
1 15-ounce can creamed corn
chicken from bones
½ cup milk or heavy cream

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. to bake the potatoes. Place a metal potato skewer through each potato or prick with a fork several times to allow air to escape from the potato, preventing it from exploding in the oven. Place potatoes on a foil-covered cookie sheet and bake for 35 minutes or until fork-tender (but not thoroughly cooked; potatoes will cook more in soup) and skins are crisp. Remove from oven and let cool. Cut potatoes into bite-size chunks, leaving skins on.

Return the stock pot to the burner and heat 2 tablespoons oil on medium-high heat. When hot, add a fresh thyme sprig, garlic, onion, red bell pepper, and celery; sauté until tender. Return chicken stock to the pot; add carrots, frozen corn, and season with salt and pepper. Cover pot and bring to a rolling boil for 10 minutes; then reduce heat and simmer until carrots are nearly tender. Add creamed corn and baked potato chunks; simmer for 20 minutes. Add chicken from the bones. Remove from heat and stir in ½ cup milk. To thicken stock, smash some of the baked potatoes.