Winter Cold: Try Cock-a-Leekie Soup

With Winter not easing up at all this February in Toronto, it is nice to have a tasty soup to warm up with.  This recipe is fairly easy and does not require blending like most of other recipes that I have shared.  It serves 4 hearty portions and takes about 45 minutes including prep time.  Per Wikipedia this soup is French in origins, but it has also been called "Scotland's National Soup."  I can confirm it is both tasty and not that hard to make.   Hope you enjoy.

Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Cock-a-Leekie- Soup
Ingredients:
	2 TBSP of Vegetable Oil or Canola Oil
	2 Cups (500ml) Sliced Leeks (white and light green parts)                     Which is Approx 2 Medium Leeks
	2 Boneless Chicken Breasts, Cubed in 1/2 Inch Pieces
	6 Cups (1.5L) Sodium Reduced Chicken Stock
	3/4 Cup (175ml) Long Grain Rice
	1 Strip of Lemon Peel (1/2 cm wide and about 5cm long)
	1 Dried Bay Leaf
	TT Salt
	1/2 TSP Pepper
	1/4 Cup (63ml) Chopped Fresh Parsley
Steps:
	1) Cut bottom end off of leek and top of leeks after the light green parts.  Discard bottom and top. Cut leaks in half to split open.  Rinse leeks in hot water to ensure sand/soil is removed from inside and let drain in a colander.
	2) Slice leeks into large strips about 1cm wide and 4 cm long. Measure 2 cups.
	3) In a stock pot or large saucepan heat oil over medium heat.  Add Leeks and cook for 5 minutes.
	4) Add cubed chicken pieces and continue to fry about 4 minutes or until the chicken is no longer visibly pink.
	5) Add chicken stock, rice, lemon peel, and bay leaf; bring to a boil and then cover and reduce heat to low.  Cook 25 minutes and until rice is tender.
	6) Fish out bay leaf and lemon peel discard (use tongs or a slotted spoon).  Season with salt to taste and pepper.  Add parsley and serve.
Soup will last up to 3 days in the fridge, although the rice will lose its consistency and expand. It is best to serve and eat after preparing.

Ingredients for Cock-a-Leekie Soup

Step 3: Sauteing Leeks on Medium-High Heat

Step 4: Add Chicken and Fry for 5 Minutes

Step 5: Add Chicken Stock, Rice, Lemon Peel and Bay Leaf

 Step 5: Almost Finished Cooking 

Cock-a-Leekie Soup with Garnish of Parsley

Additions and Suggestions:

• Unlike a lot of soups I have prepared in which I have suggested various garnishes often sour cream, shredded cheese or home made bacon bits, I have no suggestions for this soup. 

What I've learned in making this soup:

• Leeks have a more subtle taste than onions and they are part of the same family of plants that include both garlic and onions.  They are great boiled into soups or fried in butter/oil as part of a stir fry.  It is best to eat the white parts and light green parts.
• Leeks are a good source of many vitamins including vitamin A, B6, Folate. K and minerals including manganese and iron.  Leeks have been eating by people since at least the second millennium BCE including by Egyptians and Mesopotamians.
• When preparing leeks it is best to cut off the bottom and top just where it stops being at the light green and to thoroughly rinse in a colander to get the sand/dirt out.  
• When cutting the peel of a lemon it is best to use a fresh lemon that is scrubbed and to use a sharp paring knife.  

Have a favorite soup for Winter?  Have an addition to this recipe?  Please share it below.