Ingredients
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1 pcs Chicken smaller cut into pieces
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1 tea cup Barley
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20 g Celeriac peeled and chopped
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3 pcs Leeks sliced
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100 g Prunes
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a few stems Parsley chopped
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1 tablespoon Salt
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a pinch Black pepper
Directions
Cock-a-Leekie Soup is so widespread in Scottish cuisine that is often referred as Scotland’s National Soup.
Usually, it is served at national holidays such as St. Andrews Dinner, Burns Supper or Hogmanay. In addition, it can often be found as a daily dish during the winter months.
How deeply Cock-a-Leekie Soup is rooted in Scottish cuisine, is best evidenced in the fact that was first mentioned in 1598. In fact, it was served to the king.
Although it is one of the traditional Scottish dishes, it originated from France, from onion soup. The 16th century is the time of the Auld Alliance between Scotland and France. Mary of Guise, wife of James V, brought the French influence in Scotland, including the cuisine. It should be noted that her daughter, Mary Queen of Scots, spent much of her life in France before returning to Scotland.
Cock-a-Leekie Soup is a very simple soup which is based on the two basic ingredients, leeks and chicken broth. In addition to these two, there is a whole range of other ingredients such as barley, prunes, carrot, parsnips, etc.
It is believed, the prunes have been added to improve the taste and also the nutritional value of the soup. An interesting fact is that the indestructible French minister Charles Maurice de Talleyrand, among other things, advised that prunes should be removed before serving.
Since I like prunes, we will not listen to de Talleyrand and we’ll make a variant with prunes and barley.
Steps
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1
Done
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Put chicken, celeriac, barley and water in a larger pot. Season with salt and cook for approx. 1 hour, or until the meat is cooked enough to be easily removed from the bones. |
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2
Done
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When the meat is cooked enough, remove it from the broth and leave it aside. |
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3
Done
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Add the leek and parsley to the broth and bring to boil for 10 minutes. Leeks do not require much time to cook and we do not want to overcook item. |
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4
Done
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While broth is cooking, remove the meat from the bones and flake it into smaller pieces. |
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5
Done
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Add the meat and the prunes to the soup and simmer for a few more minutes. Season with salt and black pepper to taste, and before removing from heat, finely add rest of chopped parsley. |
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6
Done
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Serve as a warm appetizer. |
