I was watching a British comedy show and this soup was mentioned in a joke. I HAD to check it out and boy am I glad I did! What a name! I found a recipe and have since changed it up a bit for our tastes. This makes a HUGH batch of soup but hubby LOVED it and we ate for three days straight! It takes a few hours to make this traditional Scottish soup, Love the name? You will LOVE the soup.
Ingredients:
• 5 Leeks
• 8 chicken thighs, bone and skin on
• 1 medium onion chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 cloves minced garlic
• 5 medium pitted prunes
• 1 Tablespoon"Better then Bullion" chicken flavor
• 4 quarts cold water, more or less as needed
• 1/3 cup barley
• 1 Tablespoon kosher salt (more or less to taste)
• freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves (1.3 t dried)
Directions:
1. Cut off the leek tops (fibrous green) and wash well. Set aside the leek bottoms
2. Put leek tops chopped into 1/2 inch pieces in the bottom of a soup pot. Place chicken on top and add bay leaves, garlic, onion, Best of Bullion and dried prunes. Bring to a quick boil, lower to simmer with lid party off for 1 hour and 15 minutes.
3. Trim off the root ends of leek bottoms and slice them lengthwise. Swirl around in a large bowl of water to loosen sand and dirt and set aside in another bowl.
4. Remove the chicken from the pot. Separate chicken from the skin and bones and place in a bowl to cool.
5. Return chicken skin and bones to the soup pot and simmer for an additional hour.
6. Use a colander and skimmer spoon to remove all solids from the soup pot retaining all the broth. Discard the solids.
7. Add half of the sliced leeks to the pot along with salt, pepper, and barley, Simmer for an additional hour, occasionally skimming off the fat if you wish.
8. Add remaining sliced leeks, chicken and thyme. Simmer over low heat for an additional 25 minutes.
9. Season if you wish and serve.
