Thursday, January 24, 2008

Simple cock-a-leekie for Burns Night (start it today for tomorrow).


Simmer the chicken, two hours perhaps, with bayleaves, peppercorns, stock cubes.
Remove from broth, cool, cut up.
Soften chopped alliums, add chicken, strained broth and prunes (purists may scoff...)

7 comments:

Unknown said...

One of my favourites. I can smell it cooking. Are the stock cubes neccessary?

Rosie said...

mmmmmm

vicki johnson said...

i know i'm gonna love it!!
and yes, i'll add the prunes.
But, i'm curious as to why those are added...i guess for the sweetness?
And the cubes are for intensifying the broth?

Lucy said...

Hmm, I knew the there would be those who would take issue the stock cubes. As I said, it is the simple version. Other recipes call for beef shin etc to give more substance to the broth, and we do have some fine rich beef stock in the freezer, made by Tom with marrow bones and such like, which might have served, but it is such a precious commodity I didn't want to dilute it and use it up in broth. Simply omitting the cubes it would to my (possibly jaded) palette, have been uninteresting.

The prunes are quite traditional, though hard-liners have, in the past, been agin'em. You only need one or two per person, but the touch of sweetness, and the colour, just gives a really good lift to the whole.

Lee said...

You'll get no scoffing from me - prunes add something else, something rich. We are heading off looking for haggis shortly...

Lucy said...

Och, you'll be hunting the wild haggis around the moutain and down the glen then...

Fire Bird said...

I could eat this...