W. Hilditch
Active member
Cock-A-Leekie Soup...............First written mention 1737.
1 chicken whole or cut into 8 pieces
Beef stock to cover
3 leeks cut in 1” pieces
1 1/2 dried prunes quartered per serving
3/4 cup pearl barley
Parsley, salt & pepper
Other veggies optional
Lightly boil chicken in beef stock with 2/3rds of leeks, prunes, parsley & seasonings until chicken falls off the bones. 3’ish hours. Add barley & remainder of leeks. Remove chicken, clean from bones and cut or tear into spoon size pieces and put back in pot. Cook until the desired texture. I used a two gallon 3 legged pot/cauldron and browned the chicken pieces some before adding the stock (water & beef bouillon cubes?). Worked well.
Here is the cool part. Back in the 15 hundreds’ish when cock fights became entertainment in Scotland there was always a loser. If the loser died in the morning or early afternoon he went into the pot with available vegetables and become Cock-A-Leekie, a hardy soup. Those who died later in the afternoon became Spatchcock, which were discussed in December last in Cooking in Cast Iron. Spatchcock cooked quicker.
BTW, on the day the Titanic went down there was a choice of two soups on the lunch menu. One choice was Cock-A-Leekie. A true spoonful of history made in a CI pot.
Hilditch
1 chicken whole or cut into 8 pieces
Beef stock to cover
3 leeks cut in 1” pieces
1 1/2 dried prunes quartered per serving
3/4 cup pearl barley
Parsley, salt & pepper
Other veggies optional
Lightly boil chicken in beef stock with 2/3rds of leeks, prunes, parsley & seasonings until chicken falls off the bones. 3’ish hours. Add barley & remainder of leeks. Remove chicken, clean from bones and cut or tear into spoon size pieces and put back in pot. Cook until the desired texture. I used a two gallon 3 legged pot/cauldron and browned the chicken pieces some before adding the stock (water & beef bouillon cubes?). Worked well.
Here is the cool part. Back in the 15 hundreds’ish when cock fights became entertainment in Scotland there was always a loser. If the loser died in the morning or early afternoon he went into the pot with available vegetables and become Cock-A-Leekie, a hardy soup. Those who died later in the afternoon became Spatchcock, which were discussed in December last in Cooking in Cast Iron. Spatchcock cooked quicker.
BTW, on the day the Titanic went down there was a choice of two soups on the lunch menu. One choice was Cock-A-Leekie. A true spoonful of history made in a CI pot.
Hilditch
