Cock-a-leekie Soup

Oh the winter blues! Cabin fever, freezing temps, the snow bound South!? It's enough to get you down, right? Well, never fear, as I am here with a heart-warming, 'pick-me-up', comfort food special right out of the mists of time. A dish Braveheart's 'William Wallace' would have enjoyed. Something to warm you up while we all wait on the ice melting so we can get back to work...I present to you one of our favorites, 'Cock-a-leekie' soup.

Few Scottish recipes date back as far as this traditional soup which can be traced as all the way to the 16th century. A time of kilts and castles and roaring cooking fires when Scots folk where always going back and forth to Ulster. So, this is an old recipe, but I have given this old bird a new twist with some modern flavors to enliven the ancient experience!

A version of this soup was always cooking on the Aga cooking stove when I was growing up and must be one of the most popular farm house favorites throughout Northern Ireland. Sometimes my mother would replace the rice with barley, and the family recipe did not include the traditional prunes, but most other ingredients are true to tradition.

The chicken left over from the stock pot would typically then be served up with a pot of potatoes as our main course after the soup, just to ensure that nothing was wasted in our home. (in good Ulster-Scots tradition)

So enjoy a warm bowl of this Ulster-Scots favorite as we wait out the winter and look forward to warmer days!

Cock-a-Leekie Soup


• 10 dried plumbs (6oz)
• 1 small chicken (3 lbs washed with giblets removed)
• 6 medium size leeks (2 lbs) washed and chopped
• 2 oz long grain rice (washed)
• 3 medium carrots (grated)
• water to cover chicken (6 pints)
• Bouquet garni (thyme sprigs, sage, bay leaves)
• 2 tsp salt
• ½ tsp freshly milled black pepper
• 4 slices of smoked bacon
•
(parsley puree)

• 1 bunch flat leaf parsley (1 cup with stems removed)
• 2 medium garlic cloves
• 1 oz Kerrygold Ivernia cheese (grated)
• 4 fluid oz olive oil
• zest of one lemon
• 1 tsp kosher salt

How to make it:

1. Soak prunes overnight in cold water.
2. In a medium size saucepan add chicken, half of the leeks, 1 slice of smoky bacon, bouquet garni and enough water to cover the bird. Bring to a boil and simmer for 2 ½ hours until the meat is falling off the bone.
4. Strain the stock in to a clean pot. Remove chicken from the bones and discard everything else. Add remaining leeks, grated carrots and dried plumbs and cook for 20 more minutes. Remove from heat and add a portion of the cooked chicken very finely chopped. Taste to adjust seasoning and add salt and pepper.
6. Prepare puree by placing parsley, garlic, cheese and lemon zest in food processor and slowly drizzle olive oil to make a paste. Sautee remaining slices of bacon to crispy and chop.
7. Serve in warmed bowls using a fork to swirl a little parley puree and sprinkles of chopped crispy bacon.

Enjoy!
Judith the Irish Foodie