I am a great fan of the STARZ Television Series, OUTLANDER and after viewing the Season 5 Finale, the most intense episode since the Season 1 Finale, I was in need of a little comfort food.

This earthy and traditional Scottish dish dates back to the 16th century. With many variations, none are wrong. After all, this is a chicken and leek soup and of course, its recipe is open to interpretation. Some cooks may add chopped grilled bacon to the soup, some will use beef stock or vegetable stock, and many suggest offering stewed prunes with the finished dish as was recommended by Talleyrand, the French gourmet. Barley is also a grain of choice to make the soup, but rice is preferred.

Our recipe uses a whole chicken cooked in a pot, but no prunes. If you like the sweet-savory combination, use prunes either by adding 12 pitted prunes to the pot 40 minutes before the end of the cooking time or by slicing some stewed prunes on top as garnish.

Whichever your choice of recipe for cock-a-leekie, do try this traditional, easy recipe based on one from the late Ronnie Clydesdale of the Ubiquitous Chip in Glasgow, one of the most Scottish restaurants to be found.

Note: I did not have any fresh parsely on hand to garnish the soup, so I opted using fresh pea shoots that gave some colour to the dish.

#QuarantineKitchen

Serves 4

Ingredients:

2 - 3 pound fresh whole chicken

12 medium-sized leeks, well-washed and chopped to 1-inch lengths

4 ounces long grain rice, washed

3 to 4 medium-sized carrots, peeled and sliced

salt, to taste

freshly ground black pepper, to taste

1/4 bunch fresh parsley, chopped, for garnish

Directions:

Put the chicken and half of the chopped leeks in a large stockpot or pan and cover with cold water.

Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid and simmer gently for 1 hour, or until the chicken is falling off the bone. The amount of time needed depends on the size and freshness of the chicken. An older chicken might take longer to cook to the desired consistency.

Take the pan off the heat and remove the chicken. Place the bird on a dish or large plate and reserve, covered, until it is cool. If you need to refrigerate the chicken at this stage, wait until it has cooled off completely.

Strain the broth into a clean pan large enough to hold the remaining ingredients.

Add the rice to the stock and cover with a tight-fitting lid. Cook for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes, add the carrots and the rest of the chopped leeks. Continue cooking for 20 more minutes, uncovered.

Taste for the strength of flavor in the broth and, if necessary, reduce the liquid even further to increase it until it has reached your desired flavor.

Once you have reached the intensity of flavor you prefer, season the broth with salt and pepper.

Chop some of the reserved chicken into pieces, place it into hot bowls, and pour over the broth and vegetables. The soup is traditionally served with big chunks of vegetables and chicken. If using, add chopped parsley on top of each bowl.

Serve hot and enjoy!

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