It’s happened to me, too. I go to the freezer for a quart of chicken stock and discover that the frozen larder is bare. Here’s a way to make a reasonable facsimile of stock in just a few minutes.
2 quarts canned low-sodium chicken stock
4 celery ribs, rinsed and finely chopped
1 onion, peeled and diced
2 carrots, trimmed, scrubbed, and finely chopped
2 tablespoons whole black peppercorns
6 garlic cloves, peeled
4 sprigs parsley
4 sprigs thyme or 1 teaspoon dried
2 bay leaves
1. Combine stock, celery, onion, carrots, peppercorns, garlic, parsley, thyme, and bay leaves in a large stockpot, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer 20 minutes.
2. Strain stock through a finemeshed sieve, pressing with the back of a spoon to extract as much liquid as possible. Spoon stock into smaller containers, and refrigerate when cool.
Note: The stock can be refrigerated and used within 3 days, or it can be frozen up to 6 months.