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Ham Stock, base for many recipes

For the past few weeks, we have been describing some of our favorite “desperate” strategies for dealing with dinner.

Our philosophy is simple: Desperation isn't one-size-fits-all, and the more coping mechanisms we have, the better. Today's tip – night-before cooking – comes from Lee S. Dean, food editor of The Star Tribune in Minneapolis.

“It dawned on me one evening, after the meal, as I was monitoring homework around the dinner table (the favorite place for my kids to work), that I might as well be cooking dinner for the next day, since I was in the kitchen anyway,” she said. “So I started chopping carrots, celery and onions, which go in just about everything, while they were doing their math. They liked me hanging around, and I liked cooking when the pressure for speed was off.

“Once the ingredients were pulled together and either simmering or set aside for the next day, I would sit down at the table with the kids while they worked and keep them company,” she said. “The kitchen smelled wonderful; it felt warm and cozy. We were all together.”

The benefit for Dean was that the next night's dinner only had to be reheated. “It was not only an efficient way to deal with mealtime, but it gave me control over what had been chaos at 5 p.m.,” she said. Today's recipe for Night-Before Split Pea Soup is our slightly adapted version of Dean's family favorite.

Ham Stock

Makes about 8 cups

• 1 ham bone (see note)
• 12 cups water
• 2 ribs celery, preferably with the leaves
• 1 medium onion, peeled and cut into quarters
• 1 carrot, cut in half
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
• 2 bay leaves

Combine ham bone with water in a soup pot over high heat. Rinse celery, cut it in half, and add it to pot. Peel onion, quarter it and add it. Cut carrot in half (unpeeled), and add it along with peppercorns and bay leaves. Bring tto a boil, then turn heat to low.

Simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes to an hour. (The time will depend on how much homework there is to do.) The liquid will reduce to about 8 cups. Remove stock from heat and pour it through a colander, reserving liquid and discarding bone and vegetables. (If there is meat on the bone, add it to the stock.) The stock may be refrigerated, covered, for up to three days. Before using, skim off any solid fat that rises to the top.

Notes: If you do not have a bone left over from a ham, look for ham bones in the supermarket alongside hams or ask the butcher.

Start to finish: 10 minutes preparation, plus 1 hour unattended simmering time.

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