Cock-A-Leekie Soup

Cock-a-Leekie SoupRooster In The Hen House

We have been eagerly awaiting the arrival of the first eggs from our chickens since they are now of age. It has been fun to watch them grow from chicks to hens, and to get to know their personalities…and they do have personalities. Some of the biggest characters have been given names.

There’s Trouble, who got her name because if the chickens are found doing anything naughty, chances are she’s at the head of the pack egging the others on. She is also the one who likes to come and peck at our back door to see what we are doing.

Then there’s Turtle and Seagull. They were the easiest to name because Seagull looks like one and Turtle is short for Turtleneck. She has a ruff of feathers around her neck that makes her look like a Shakespearean reject.

The kids named one of the Rhode Island Reds Huevo—short for Huevos Rancheros. Apparently, sarcasm and irony are genetic.

And then, there’s Sparkle who got her name because she’s just not that bright. Now, I realize it’s relative. They are chickens after all, but she is exceptionally tragic. I watched her continuously run into the wire fence the other day, because she couldn’t figure out that she needed to fly back over it, which is the way she got out in the first place. I took pity on her and picked her up to give her a hand. Sigh.

We missed the mark on one of the chickens. As we watched the chicks grow bigger and bigger we noticed that one of the Rhode Island Reds was really tall. We figured she was part of the blessed 1% of poultry who could be referred to as Super Model Chickens. We named her Cindy for Cindy Crawford. The problem is Cindy is actually a rooster. So we changed his name to RuPaul.

Ru has become a problem, as you can imagine any adolescent rooster would. The girls want nothing to do with him, and unfortunately he’s the guy at the bar who just won’t take the hint. Therefore, we were compelled to find him a new home. This weekend he will be going to a nice farm where he can speed date with other chickens who might be more accepting of his nature. It’s a way better fate than the soup pot.

Cock-A-Leekie Soup
Adapted from Martha Stewart

If you make this soup ahead, you may need to add a bit of water or stock when reheating.
Serves 6

Ingredients
1 1/4 pounds skinless chicken thighs on the bone, about 4 pieces
1 1/4 pounds skinless chicken breast halves on the bone, about 3 pieces
Four 14 1/2-ounce cans low-sodium chicken broth, skimmed of fat
2 cups white wine or water
2 large celery ribs, halved crosswise
1 large carrot, peeled
2 large garlic cloves, peeled
6 leeks, white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise
12 pitted prunes, quartered (2/3 cup packed)
1/2 cup barley
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions
Heat a 6-quart Dutch oven on medium-high until hot. Add the chicken thighs, and cook until browned, turning once, for about 8 minutes. Transfer the thighs to a bowl, and repeat the process with the chicken breasts.

Add broth, wine, celery, carrots, and garlic to the Dutch oven. Bring it to a boil, and scrape any browned bits from the pot. Return all the chicken to pot, reduce heat, and simmer for 1 hour. Skim the pot as necessary. Transfer the chicken to a plate, and let cool. Transfer the vegetables to another plate and reserve.

Add the leeks, prunes, and barley to the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until thick or for about 40 minutes more. Once the chicken has cooled shred the meat. Finely dice the carrot and celery. Stir chicken, carrot, celery, and parsley into soup, heat through, and serve.

 

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