RECIPE - burns night - cock-a-leekie

Firstly I make my own stock.

Ingredients
1 leftover chicken carcass
1 onion, quartered
2 carrots, thickly sliced
2 celery sticks, thickly sliced
1 bay leaf
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp roughly crushed peppercorns
2.5 litres of cold water

Put the chicken carcass and vegetables in a large saucepan. Add the herbs, salt and peppercorns.

Pour over the water and bring slowly just to the boil. Skim off any scum with a slotted spoon. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer, then half cover with a lid and cook for 2 - 2 1/2 hours until reduced by about half.

Strain the stock through a large sieve into a jug.

Chill the stock for several hours or overnight and then skim off the thin layer of fat on the top of the stock.

Serves 6

Ingredients
1 tbsp sunflower oil
2 chicken thigh and leg joints, about 375g
500g leeks, thinly sliced, white and green parts kept separate
3 smoked streaky rashers, diced
2.5 litres of chicken stock (4 pints)
1 bay leaf
1 large thyme sprig
50g long-grain rice
salt and pepper

Heat the oil in a large saucepan, add the chicken joints and fry on one side until golden. Turn them over and add the white sliced leeks and bacon.
Fry until the chicken is golden all over and the leeks and bacon just beginning to colour.

Pour in the stock, then add the bay leaf, thyme and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 1 - 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally until the chicken is falling off the bones.

Lift the chicken, bay leaf and thyme sprigs out of the soup with a slotted spoon and put onto a plate. Remove the skin and bones from the chicken then cut the meat into pieces.
Return the chicken to the pan, adding the rice and green leek slices. Simmer for 10 minutes until the rice and leeks are tender.

Taste and adjust the seasoning if needed.

---