Much has been made of the weird, silly, and giggle-worthy names of British recipes: Toad-in-the-Hole, Bangers and Mash, Spotted Dick, Bubble and Squeak, Cock-a-leekie. In coming posts I’m sure I’ll cover all of them, but today I wanted to share my recipe for Cock-a-leekie, which is (as you could probably guess from the name) a chicken and leek soup. It’s originally from Scotland and has many different variations. For example, I have another recipe that has barley and parsley but no prunes. The barley/parsley version is lighter than the one below, which is good for blustery November days. Cock-a-leekie is ridiculously simple and can be done almost entirely in advance. Enjoy!
Cock-a-leekie
For the base:
5 cups (2 Imperial pints) (1L) chicken stock (homemade if possible)
5 cups (2 Imperial pints) (1L) beef stock (also homemade if possible)
2 1/2 lbs leeks (1kg), white and light-green parts only, thinly sliced
For each serving:
1/2 cup (2 oz.) (50g) shredded cooked chicken (5 cups/20 oz./500g for all 10 servings)
2 prunes, thinly sliced (20 for all 10 servings)
Combine the chicken and beef stocks and sliced leeks in a stock pot or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer, covered, for 30 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Base can be refrigerated at this point and then reheated.
Place chicken and sliced prunes in each serving bowl (or put all servings together in a large tureen) and pour over the hot prepared base.
Serves 10
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Too funny – I found myself smiling at the name and thought “Hmmm…i wonder if I’m a little immature.” But no, it IS funny! Really looks good, though! I could use some today – it is wonderfully cold!