Cock A Leekie Stew Recipes

COCK-A-LEEKIE

Steps:

• Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven on medium-high until hot. Add thighs; cook until browned, turning once, about 8 minutes. Transfer to a bowl. Repeat with breasts.
• Add broth, wine, celery, carrot, and garlic to Dutch oven. Bring to a boil; scrape any browned bits from pot; return chicken to pot, reduce heat, and simmer, skimming as necessary, for 1 hour. Transfer chicken to a plate; let cool. Transfer vegetables to another plate; reserve.
• Add leeks, prunes, and barley to broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thick, about 40 minutes more. Once chicken has cooled, shred meat. Finely dice carrot and celery. Stir chicken, carrot, celery, and parsley into soup, heat through, and serve.

COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP (SCOTTISH CHICKEN AND LEEK SOUP)

Steps:

• Season chicken with 2 teaspoons salt and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper. Set chicken aside while prepping the other ingredients.
• Put leek greens, carrot peels, celery leaves, garlic, parsley stems, thyme, bay leaf and star anise at bottom of a large Dutch oven or soup pot. Place chicken on top of the vegetables. Add remaining 1 teaspoon salt and the peppercorns, and pour in 8 cups cold water, or enough to just submerge the chicken.
• Bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to a simmer and partly cover the pot. Cook until chicken is cooked through and very tender, 45 to 55 minutes.
• While the chicken cooks, thickly slice 3 of the leek whites into 1/2-inch coins. Thinly slice the remaining leek white; set thinly and thickly sliced leeks aside separately.
• When the chicken is tender, using tongs, transfer to a large bowl or plate to cool. Strain the broth into a large bowl, discarding vegetables and herbs.
• Wipe out the Dutch oven and return it to medium-high heat. Add butter, letting it melt. Add the thick leek coins (save the thinly sliced leek for garnish), a pinch of salt and pepper, and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer leek whites to a bowl (they can go on top of the chicken if there's room).
• Pour broth back into the pot. Bring broth to a brisk simmer, and stir in barley, carrots and celery. Let broth simmer uncovered until the liquid is reduced by a third, and the barley and vegetables are tender, 40 to 50 minutes.
• While the broth is simmering, use a fork or your fingers to shred chicken into bite-size pieces, discarding skin and bones.
• Once the barley and vegetables are tender, stir in shredded chicken, sautéed leek whites and the prunes, and simmer for another 5 minutes to allow the prunes to soften (some might disintegrate). Taste and add salt, if needed. To serve, garnish with thinly sliced leek whites and parsley leaves.

SCOTTISH COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP

Steps:

• Cut off the leek tops (the dark green, fibrous parts) and wash well. Set aside the leek bottoms.
• Put clean leak tops in the bottom of a large pot. Place chicken on top and add bay leaf, garlic, dried plums, and 3 quarts water. Set over high heat until it starts to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low or low and simmer gently, occasionally pushing the chicken under the liquid with tongs, for 1 hour 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, prepare leek bottoms by trimming off the root ends and slicing them in half lengthwise. Turn leeks and cut crosswise into ½-inch slices. Transfer to a large bowl and fill with cold water so leeks are floating. Toss with your hands to loosen dirt. Grab leeks with your hands, shake gently to remove water, and transfer to another bowl. Place in the refrigerator until needed.
• Carefully lift chicken with two forks, let liquid drain from the cavity, and place it in a bowl. Separate meat from skin and bones. Tear meat into bite-sized pieces put in the refrigerator until needed.
• Place skin and bones back into the pot and gently simmer for 1 more hour.
• Set a colander in a bowl. Use a skimmer spoon to transfer all solids from the broth to the colander. Discard solids and transfer any broth back to the pot.
• Add half of the sliced leeks to the pot with salt, pepper, and rice. Simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour, skimming some fat off if you want and adding more water if it's reducing down too much.
• Add remaining sliced leeks, chicken, and thyme. Simmer over medium-low for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings. Serve.

COCK-A-LEEKIE SOUP

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large heavy-based saucepan until hot. Fry the chicken pieces in batches until golden brown, then remove and set aside. Add the bacon, carrots, celery and leek tops, and fry for 5 mins until it all starts to brown. Pour off any excess fat.
• Splash in the wine and boil rapidly, scraping the bottom of the pan. Return the chicken pieces with the herbs and add enough cold water to cover. Slowly bring to the boil, then simmer for 40 mins until the chicken is tender.
• Remove the chicken to a plate, cover with foil and leave to cool slightly. Strain the soup into a clean saucepan and discard all the other ingredients. Leave to stand for a few mins and skim off any fat that rises to the top. Pull the meat from the chicken bones and tear into large chunks.
• Simmer the soup with the chicken, leeks and prunes for another 20-30 mins. Season to taste and serve with really good bread.

COCK A LEEKIE SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over high heat, combine the chicken, water, onion and barley. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer for 1 hour. Remove chicken, discard the bones and skin, chop meat into bite size pieces and return to the pot.
• Add the chicken broth, leeks, celery, thyme, parsley, salt and ground black pepper. Simmer for 30 more minutes, or until all vegetables are tender.