Bone Broth and Vegetable Soup Base (Freezer Stash)

1. If using raw bones, preheat your oven to 425°F (220°C). Spread the bones on a sheet pan and roast for 30–35 minutes until deeply browned. If you're using leftover roasted chicken carcasses, skip this step, they're already roasted.
2. Heat the olive oil in a large stockpot (at least 10-quart) over medium-high heat. Add the onions, carrots, and celery and cook for 6–8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they develop some color on the edges. You're not trying to cook them through, just building flavor through browning.
3. Add the roasted bones, garlic head, apple cider vinegar, bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme. Pour in enough cold water to cover everything by about 2 inches.
4. Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a bare simmer: you want lazy, occasional bubbles, not a rolling boil. A hard boil makes the broth cloudy and can turn it bitter.
5. Simmer uncovered for 3½ to 4 hours, skimming any foam or scum from the surface during the first 30 minutes. Top off with water if the bones become exposed. The broth is done when it's deeply golden and tastes rich, savory, and full-bodied.
6. Strain the broth through a fine-mesh sieve into a large bowl or pot, pressing gently on the solids to extract all the liquid. Discard the solids. Season with salt to taste, start with 1 tablespoon and adjust.
7. To cool quickly and safely, set the pot in a sink of cold water and stir occasionally, replacing the water as it warms. As soon as the broth is merely warm — don't wait for it to reach room temperature — divide it into shallow containers or quart bags and refrigerate or freeze. (A large pot of hot broth can take 3–5 hours to cool passively on the counter, which is exactly the temperature zone you don't want it lingering in — the cold-water method brings it down in about 30–45 minutes.)
8. Once chilled, skim off the solidified fat layer from the top: save it for cooking if you like, or discard it.
9. Ladle the broth into quart-size freezer bags, filling each about three-quarters full. Lay the bags flat on a sheet pan and freeze. Once solid, the flat bags stack neatly like files in a drawer.

Quick Soup Formula (20 Minutes from Frozen Broth)

Thaw one quart bag of broth (microwave in a bowl for 4–5 minutes, or submerge the sealed bag in cold water, changing the water every 30 minutes — warm water thaws the outside into the danger zone while the middle is still frozen). Heat in a pot over medium and bring to a full simmer. Add: 2 cups chopped vegetables (whatever you have; spinach, zucchini, carrots, kale), 1 cup cooked protein (shredded chicken, sliced meatballs, white beans), and 1 cup cooked grain (rice, quinoa, small pasta). Simmer for 10–12 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Finish with a squeeze of lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and a shower of fresh herbs. Done. That's dinner.