Cock A Leekie Soup

Cock a leekie soup is a traditional Scottish dish. Non Scots might call it chicken and leek soup.

1. 1

   It's far better to make your own stock for this recipe, and it's very easy, even if you've never done it before.
   
   In a large (3 litre) stock pot, lightly brown the chicken in some oil. Next add the dark green part of the leek for the soup, chopped carrot, onion, celery, thyme, peppercorns and bayleaf, and cover with 2.5 litres of cold water. Bring almost to the boil and simmer. After 20 minutes remove the chicken and set aside to cool. When it's cool enough to handle remove the meat and set aside. Return the bones and skin to the stock.
   
   Continue to simmer for about an hour, until you have a nicely coloured stock. Now strain the stock into another pot or container and discard the vegetables and chicken leftovers.
   
   Return the stock to the heat and add the chopped leek, carrot and onion. Bring almost back to a boil, then simmer on a low heat for 45 minutes, until the vegetables are soft. In the meantime, roughly chop the chicken into bite-sized pieces. Add to the soup 5 minutes before serving. Season to taste. If the stock doesn't have enough flavour for your liking, crumble in one or two vegetable stock cubes.
   
   Serve with a sprinkling of freshly chopped parsley.