I really do like the winter. Snow falling from the sky means 'stay home' days, fires roaring in the fireplace and soup! Here we are, January 10, and we've only had like 5 snowflakes fall to the ground. What is that all about? Never mind that we've had several days in the 50's lately. It's grilling weather not soup weather!
Now before anyone start throwing anything at me, I'm not asking for a blizzard that keeps us house bound for days. I'm just looking for a nice little snowstorm, a foot ought to do, just enough to keep us stuck at the house for a day.
One of my favorite soups to get when we go out to eat is French Onion Soup. I've tried a few different recipes before I settled on this on as my favorite. I've been making this recipe for at least 10 years now and I'm not entirely sure where it came from. It is very easy to throw together and it just involves stirring it periodically so the onions don't burn. I did learn that you can't make a double batch of this recipe as the onions with literally take all day to caramelize. I use my cast iron Dutch oven to make this and it doesn't take nearly as long to get the onions caramelized.
French Onion Soup
3 pounds yellow onions
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/2 teaspoon table salt
1 pinch sugar
8 cups water, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 sprig fresh thyme
1/4 cup dry white wine
1 whole baguette
8 ounces Gruyère or Swiss cheese, grated
Cut each onion into 1/8 inch slices (I make mine a little thicker so the onions don't all dissolve). Melt butter in a large Dutch oven or soup pot over medium heat. Once it has stopped foaming add the onions, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Toss to evenly coat. Cover and cook for 10 minutes. Remove cover, and cook stirring frequently until the onions begin to brown lightly, about 90 minutes longer. Stir every 5 minutes and add a couple tablespoons of water whenever the bottom of the pan crusts over with dark colored fond. Continue to cook as directed until the onions are an even dark walnut color, an additional 45 minutes longer.
Add the flour and stir for two minutes. Add 8 cups water and thyme to the onions and bring to a boil. Lower heat to maintain a lively simmer and cook for 20 minutes. Add white wine and simmer 10 minutes longer. Taste for seasoning adding salt as needed. Meanwhile, heat the oven to 325 degrees and adjust a rack to the upper middle position. Cut the baguette into 3/4 inch slices and arrange on a single layer on a cookie sheet. Bake until the bread is dry, crisp and very lightly colored at the edges, about 10 minutes. Remove bread slices and set aside.
Heat broiler and place 6 heatproof bowls in a baking sheet. Fill each bowl with about 2 cups soup. Top each with two baguette slices and evenly distribute grated cheese over the bread. Broil until well browned and bubbly, about ten minutes. Cool for five minutes before serving.
Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Soup. Show all posts
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Friday, October 7, 2011
Black Bean Soup
In our house, this is known as a 'Maria recipe', as in, nobody but Maria will eat it. I don't make as many of these kinds of recipes as I used to.
I like Panera's black bean soup, but the last couple of times I got it I thought that the cumin was very overpowering. This recipe is also from Slow Cooker Revolution and it is as close to an 'open and dump' recipe as this cookbook gets. Nothing too involved though. I cut up the onions and garlic the night before so all I had to do was microwave and dump in the next morning.
The original recipe called for a ham hock but I had a ham bone in the freezer from Easter (or maybe Christmas) and I figured I should use it before the next one gets tossed in. I used the new Chili 3000 spice mixture I got from Penzey's since I knew it had some more spice to it than regular chili powder. I added more carrots and celery than what was called for and checked the beans after 9 hours of cooking - perfect! Cookbook recommends serving with chopped red onion and sour cream.
Black Bean Soup
Yield: 11 1-cup servings
3 whole onions -- minced
6 whole garlic cloves -- minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 pound dried black beans
3 stalks celery -- minced
2 whole carrots -- minced
2 whole bay leaves
1 whole ham bones
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Microwave onions, garlic, oil and chili powder in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Stir water, broth, beans, celery, carrots and bay leaves into slow cooker. Nestle ham bone in. Cover and cook until beans are tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
Transfer ham bone to cutting board, let cool slightly and shred meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding bone. Let soup settle for 5 minutes and then remove fat from the surface using a slotted spoon. Discard bay leaves.
Transfer 1 cup of beans to a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Stir shredded ham and mashed beans back into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 223 Calories; 5g Fat; 13g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber
I like Panera's black bean soup, but the last couple of times I got it I thought that the cumin was very overpowering. This recipe is also from Slow Cooker Revolution and it is as close to an 'open and dump' recipe as this cookbook gets. Nothing too involved though. I cut up the onions and garlic the night before so all I had to do was microwave and dump in the next morning.
The original recipe called for a ham hock but I had a ham bone in the freezer from Easter (or maybe Christmas) and I figured I should use it before the next one gets tossed in. I used the new Chili 3000 spice mixture I got from Penzey's since I knew it had some more spice to it than regular chili powder. I added more carrots and celery than what was called for and checked the beans after 9 hours of cooking - perfect! Cookbook recommends serving with chopped red onion and sour cream.
Black Bean Soup
Yield: 11 1-cup servings
3 whole onions -- minced
6 whole garlic cloves -- minced
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons chili powder
3 cups chicken broth
3 cups water
1 pound dried black beans
3 stalks celery -- minced
2 whole carrots -- minced
2 whole bay leaves
1 whole ham bones
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro
Microwave onions, garlic, oil and chili powder in a bowl, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Stir water, broth, beans, celery, carrots and bay leaves into slow cooker. Nestle ham bone in. Cover and cook until beans are tender, 9 to 11 hours on low or 5 to 7 hours on high.
Transfer ham bone to cutting board, let cool slightly and shred meat into bite-sized pieces, discarding bone. Let soup settle for 5 minutes and then remove fat from the surface using a slotted spoon. Discard bay leaves.
Transfer 1 cup of beans to a bowl and mash with a potato masher. Stir shredded ham and mashed beans back into soup and let sit until heated through, about 5 minutes. Stir in cilantro and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 223 Calories; 5g Fat; 13g Protein; 32g Carbohydrate; 8g Dietary Fiber
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Italian Meatball Soup
I am working hard these days to establish a harmonious relationship with my slow cooker. In the past I have tried recipes that people have raved about, only to be disappointed in the watery, usually overcooked mess that awaited me. It would just be so nice to have a nice, hot and GOOD meal waiting for me when I come home from work.
Cook's Illustrated is one of my favorite magazines. I find the man himself to be a little pretentious, so I can't watch the episodes of America's Test Kitchen on the weekend. I will freely admit that their dedication in trying 50 different lemon meringue pie recipes have saved me the trouble of trying to find what I think to be THE ultimate recipe. Rarely have one of their recipes steered me wrong.
This year they came out with a first for them - a slow cooker cookbook titled Slow Cooker Revolution. I admit it, I was sucked in by the title: One Test Kitchen. 30 Slow Cookers. 200 Amazing Recipes. I'm thinking if you have 30 slow cookers lined up to test out the same recipe, then perhaps I can put my trust in the results.
Madeleine is a fan of Italian Wedding Soup so when I saw the recipe in the book I decided to give it a try. Now, I've tried the 'open a can and dump in' type recipes and have been disappointed in the past. I was willing to throw a little more effort into it so the meal wouldn't get pushed to the back of the refrigerator and then eventually thrown out. This recipe didn't take any less time to throw together than a normal soup recipe but the bonus was I was able to leave the house while it cooked.
The original recipe called for meatloaf mix and kale. I used ground beef since it is easier to find and spinach instead of the kale to make it more kid friendly. It really came out very good and I never would have guessed it came from a slow cooker. Even better, both kids cleaned their bowls. You can't beat that kind of recommendation!
Italian Meatball Soup
Slow Cooker Revolution
2 slices white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground beef, 93%
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1 whole egg yolk
6 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 whole onion -- minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups chicken broth
5 ounces spinach leaf, whole -- chopped
6 ounces orzo
Mash bread and milk into paste in a large bowl using a fork. Mix in ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, egg yolk, 3 garlic cloves, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper using hands. Pinch off and roll into tablespoon sized meatballs (about 30 - 35 total).
Microwave meatballs on plate until fat renders and meatballs are firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour off fat and transfer meatballs to slow cooker.
Microwave onions, remaining garlic cloves, oil and red pepper flakes in bowl, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add broth, cover and cook until meatballs are tender, about 4-6 hours on low.
Let soup settle for 5 minutes and then remove fat from surface using a large spoon, Stir in orzo, cover and cook on high until tender, 20 - 30 minutes. Add spinach to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with additional Parmesan.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 229 Calories; 8g Fat (33.3% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber
Cook's Illustrated is one of my favorite magazines. I find the man himself to be a little pretentious, so I can't watch the episodes of America's Test Kitchen on the weekend. I will freely admit that their dedication in trying 50 different lemon meringue pie recipes have saved me the trouble of trying to find what I think to be THE ultimate recipe. Rarely have one of their recipes steered me wrong.
This year they came out with a first for them - a slow cooker cookbook titled Slow Cooker Revolution. I admit it, I was sucked in by the title: One Test Kitchen. 30 Slow Cookers. 200 Amazing Recipes. I'm thinking if you have 30 slow cookers lined up to test out the same recipe, then perhaps I can put my trust in the results.
Madeleine is a fan of Italian Wedding Soup so when I saw the recipe in the book I decided to give it a try. Now, I've tried the 'open a can and dump in' type recipes and have been disappointed in the past. I was willing to throw a little more effort into it so the meal wouldn't get pushed to the back of the refrigerator and then eventually thrown out. This recipe didn't take any less time to throw together than a normal soup recipe but the bonus was I was able to leave the house while it cooked.
The original recipe called for meatloaf mix and kale. I used ground beef since it is easier to find and spinach instead of the kale to make it more kid friendly. It really came out very good and I never would have guessed it came from a slow cooker. Even better, both kids cleaned their bowls. You can't beat that kind of recommendation!
Italian Meatball Soup
Slow Cooker Revolution
2 slices white bread
1/2 cup milk
1 pound ground beef, 93%
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese -- grated
3 tablespoons minced parsley
1 whole egg yolk
6 cloves garlic -- minced
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 whole onion -- minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
8 cups chicken broth
5 ounces spinach leaf, whole -- chopped
6 ounces orzo
Mash bread and milk into paste in a large bowl using a fork. Mix in ground beef, Parmesan, parsley, egg yolk, 3 garlic cloves, oregano, 3/4 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper using hands. Pinch off and roll into tablespoon sized meatballs (about 30 - 35 total).
Microwave meatballs on plate until fat renders and meatballs are firm, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour off fat and transfer meatballs to slow cooker.
Microwave onions, remaining garlic cloves, oil and red pepper flakes in bowl, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
Add broth, cover and cook until meatballs are tender, about 4-6 hours on low.
Let soup settle for 5 minutes and then remove fat from surface using a large spoon, Stir in orzo, cover and cook on high until tender, 20 - 30 minutes. Add spinach to wilt. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve with additional Parmesan.
Per Serving (excluding unknown items): 229 Calories; 8g Fat (33.3% calories from fat); 19g Protein; 19g Carbohydrate; 1g Dietary Fiber
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Chicken Pastina Soup
My thermostat is telling me it is 54 degrees outside but I am absolutely frozen. Christopher was generous enough to share his latest cold with me and I have a sneaking suspicion I am running a fever. I searched the garage freezer last night and pulled out a gallon of frozen chicken stock and a couple of chicken breasts. David chopped all the vegetables up and the chicken (suspicious of that as well) and I have a pot of this Chicken Pastina Soup cooking on the stove.
I found this recipe on the back of the box of Progresso's chicken stock and it caught my eye. Pastina is a small pasta that looks like little balls. Very small and it cooks in all of 5 minutes. Growing up we would get Pastina with butter and Parmesan cheese - total Italian comfort food when it was cold out or when we were sick. Prince is the company that made it and if you grew up in the Boston area then you know that Wednesday was/is Prince Spaghetti day. I remember the commercial that they used to have - a little Italian grandmother yelling through the streets of the North End, calling Anthony home for supper. But I digress.
It has only been within the last year or two that I have actually been able to find Pastina here in Iowa, so of course I have a supply in the cabinet just it case it disappears. This soup is super easy to put together, with the most time consuming part being the chopping of all the vegetables. If you don't eat it all in one sitting (makes 10 good sized servings) and store it in the refrigerator, you'll notice that the pasta tends to soak up a lot of the liquid. When I reheat it I add in additional chicken broth (usually just a can) so it gets back to its soupy state. Personally I don't have a problem with thicker soup but there are some people in this house that do!
Chicken Pastina Soup
http://www.progresso.com/
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced celery (1 medium stalk)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cartons (32 oz each) Progresso® chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon gray salt or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta or other small round pasta (8 oz)
2 cups chopped, lightly packed mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard or other greens
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
In 5-quart stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, carrot and celery; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat.
Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in greens just until wilted. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a twist of additional freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of cheese.
10 servings (1 1/2 cups each)
I found this recipe on the back of the box of Progresso's chicken stock and it caught my eye. Pastina is a small pasta that looks like little balls. Very small and it cooks in all of 5 minutes. Growing up we would get Pastina with butter and Parmesan cheese - total Italian comfort food when it was cold out or when we were sick. Prince is the company that made it and if you grew up in the Boston area then you know that Wednesday was/is Prince Spaghetti day. I remember the commercial that they used to have - a little Italian grandmother yelling through the streets of the North End, calling Anthony home for supper. But I digress.
It has only been within the last year or two that I have actually been able to find Pastina here in Iowa, so of course I have a supply in the cabinet just it case it disappears. This soup is super easy to put together, with the most time consuming part being the chopping of all the vegetables. If you don't eat it all in one sitting (makes 10 good sized servings) and store it in the refrigerator, you'll notice that the pasta tends to soak up a lot of the liquid. When I reheat it I add in additional chicken broth (usually just a can) so it gets back to its soupy state. Personally I don't have a problem with thicker soup but there are some people in this house that do!
Chicken Pastina Soup
http://www.progresso.com/
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 lb boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into 3/4-inch pieces
1/2 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced carrot (1 medium)
1/2 cup diced celery (1 medium stalk)
1 cup crushed tomatoes
2 cartons (32 oz each) Progresso® chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon gray salt or sea salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 dried bay leaf
1 cup uncooked acini di pepe pasta or other small round pasta (8 oz)
2 cups chopped, lightly packed mustard greens, spinach, Swiss chard or other greens
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
In 5-quart stockpot, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add chicken, onion, carrot and celery; cook 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.
Stir in tomatoes, broth, salt, pepper and bay leaf; heat to boiling. Stir in pasta; reduce heat.
Cover; simmer 15 minutes. Stir in greens just until wilted. Remove bay leaf. Serve with a twist of additional freshly ground pepper and sprinkle of cheese.
10 servings (1 1/2 cups each)
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Turkey Chili
I am home from work today with Madeleine who has strep throat. I took her to the doctor after work yesterday for a cough that has been lingering for a week along with a gross nose that led me to believe she had a sinus infection. I was right on the sinus infection but was surprised when the strep test came back positive, since she never once complained about her throat and she hasn't had a fever.
Good little employee that I am, I logged on to work this morning to get a couple of hours in but I kept losing my connection, so I gave up for a while. I'm not having an issue with any other websites so I am taking the opportunity to do a little sale shopping (shhh, don't tell) and a blog update.
I made Pat Monahan's Turkey Chili (lead singer for Train) from the latest issue of Rachael Ray's magazine over the weekend. I haven't been able to eat ground turkey since I was pregnant with Madeleine, so I subbed in the same amount of boneless skinless turkey tenderloins that I cut into chunks. Three tablespoons of oregano scared me a bit so I decreased it to 2 and upped the amount of chili powder and I also cut the oil back a bit. By the time 2 hours were up, the turkey chunks had started to fall apart and the chili itself was a nice deep red. Yum. This went over well with the kids, although I did catch the little guy piling up the black beans on one side of his bowl. Maybe next time I'll use kidney beans instead.
Pat Monahan's Turkey Chili
Modified from Every Day with Rachael Ray
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breast, cut into chunks
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
Three 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
Two 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup dry red wine
4 bay leaves
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
In a large dutch oven, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Working in batches, add the turkey and cook until browned; transfer to a bowl.
Lower the heat to medium-high and add the remaining half tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, chili powder, cumin and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, black beans, wine and bay leaves. Stir in the turkey and 1 cup water, lower the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. To serve, top with the cheddar cheese.
Good little employee that I am, I logged on to work this morning to get a couple of hours in but I kept losing my connection, so I gave up for a while. I'm not having an issue with any other websites so I am taking the opportunity to do a little sale shopping (shhh, don't tell) and a blog update.
I made Pat Monahan's Turkey Chili (lead singer for Train) from the latest issue of Rachael Ray's magazine over the weekend. I haven't been able to eat ground turkey since I was pregnant with Madeleine, so I subbed in the same amount of boneless skinless turkey tenderloins that I cut into chunks. Three tablespoons of oregano scared me a bit so I decreased it to 2 and upped the amount of chili powder and I also cut the oil back a bit. By the time 2 hours were up, the turkey chunks had started to fall apart and the chili itself was a nice deep red. Yum. This went over well with the kids, although I did catch the little guy piling up the black beans on one side of his bowl. Maybe next time I'll use kidney beans instead.
Pat Monahan's Turkey Chili
Modified from Every Day with Rachael Ray
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
3 pounds boneless, skinless turkey breast, cut into chunks
2 red bell peppers, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 large onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, finely chopped
2 tablespoons dried oregano
3 tablespoons chili powder
4 teaspoons ground cumin
Three 14.5-ounce cans diced tomatoes
Two 15.5-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
1/4 cup dry red wine
4 bay leaves
Shredded cheddar cheese, for serving
In a large dutch oven, heat 1/2 tablespoon olive oil over high heat. Working in batches, add the turkey and cook until browned; transfer to a bowl.
Lower the heat to medium-high and add the remaining half tablespoon olive oil to the pot. Add the bell peppers, onion and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the oregano, chili powder, cumin and 2 teaspoons salt and cook until the vegetables are softened, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes, black beans, wine and bay leaves. Stir in the turkey and 1 cup water, lower the heat to medium and simmer until thickened, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. To serve, top with the cheddar cheese.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Turkey Stock
When the little guy looks at you, looks at the plate in front of him, points his finger at you and says 'NO' then it may be time to start thinking about ditching the Thanksgiving leftovers.
I opted to get a smaller turkey this year - a mere 16 pounds for the 4 of us. It was small enough to stick in a stockpot to brine (rather than dealing with the brining bags) but big enough that we had turkey for .... 8 meals.
Yesterday I took what was left of the turkey: the carcass, drumsticks and assorted skin and bones. Threw it in a pot with some water and vegetables, let it simmer and perfecto! Two big containers of stock in the refrigerator waiting to go into the freezer for a future meal or two of Turkey Noodle Soup. I think Madeleine got a little nervous when she walked into the kitchen - "Mommy it smells like you're cooking a turkey again. We aren't eating MORE turkey, are we?"
Turkey Stock
Leftover turkey carcass with a bunch of the good stuff still attached
2 onions, quartered
3 stalks celery
3 carrots, peeled
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Handful of parsley, chopped
salt
Break the turkey carcass in half and toss in a tall stockpot. Fill pot with water until carcass is almost fully submerged. Add the vegetables and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil, reducing the heat and let it simmer gently. I let it simmer for an hour and a half with the cover on and 30 minutes with the cover off so it would reduce a little.
Strain the stock into a bowl (or two) discarding all the solids. Let cool before placing in the refrigerator. I typically let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then skim off the top layer of fat before either using right away or freezing in quart sized containers. Careful when taking it out of the bowl. As you get to the bottom of the bowl, a lot of time some of the 'stuff' that passed through the strainer will have sunk. I typically use a ladle rather than pouring it right from the bowl to a pot or container.
I opted to get a smaller turkey this year - a mere 16 pounds for the 4 of us. It was small enough to stick in a stockpot to brine (rather than dealing with the brining bags) but big enough that we had turkey for .... 8 meals.
Yesterday I took what was left of the turkey: the carcass, drumsticks and assorted skin and bones. Threw it in a pot with some water and vegetables, let it simmer and perfecto! Two big containers of stock in the refrigerator waiting to go into the freezer for a future meal or two of Turkey Noodle Soup. I think Madeleine got a little nervous when she walked into the kitchen - "Mommy it smells like you're cooking a turkey again. We aren't eating MORE turkey, are we?"
Turkey Stock
Leftover turkey carcass with a bunch of the good stuff still attached
2 onions, quartered
3 stalks celery
3 carrots, peeled
3-4 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon black peppercorns
Handful of parsley, chopped
salt
Break the turkey carcass in half and toss in a tall stockpot. Fill pot with water until carcass is almost fully submerged. Add the vegetables and seasonings. Cover and bring to a boil, reducing the heat and let it simmer gently. I let it simmer for an hour and a half with the cover on and 30 minutes with the cover off so it would reduce a little.
Strain the stock into a bowl (or two) discarding all the solids. Let cool before placing in the refrigerator. I typically let it sit in the refrigerator overnight and then skim off the top layer of fat before either using right away or freezing in quart sized containers. Careful when taking it out of the bowl. As you get to the bottom of the bowl, a lot of time some of the 'stuff' that passed through the strainer will have sunk. I typically use a ladle rather than pouring it right from the bowl to a pot or container.
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