The ultimate comfort soup

Comfort food at its best– a simple healthy flavoursome cream of chicken soup with a sprinkle of cumin seeds that makes all the difference. This comforting soup also makes a great hangover cure.

INGREDIENTS

⦁ 1 chicken around 1.5kg (2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, 2 chicken wings)
⦁ 1 small leek (just the white part)
⦁ 1 onion
⦁ 1 carrot
⦁ 1 celery stalk
⦁ 2 garlic cloves
⦁ 2 parsley stalks with leaves on
⦁ 1 bay leaf
⦁ A twig of thyme
⦁ 1 tablespoon rock salt
⦁ Half a teaspoon white or black pepper
⦁ A tsp or more cumin seeds
⦁ 200 ml (6.8 fl oz) liquid cream (heavy cream)
⦁ Around 6 cups water
⦁ 1 cup pan fried croutons (optional)
⦁ 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to decorate

Cooking time:1 hour

Note

• If your using a whole chicken you can cut it into pieces and keep the breast for another meal. For best results, use the best quality cream you can find. If you prefer a chunkier soup, you can just pass the soup through a sieve rather than mix it with a stick blender.

PROCEDURE

1. Joint the chicken but save the breasts for garnishing the soup or for using in another recipe. Thinly slice the onion and slice the leeks, celery, carrots and shallots.

2. On medium or high heat melt the butter and add all the vegetables and herbs (except parsley). Reduce the heat to medium and sweat the vegetables and herbs for 3-4 minutes.

3. Add the chicken (leave out the carcass) and cook for a further 2 minutes. Add the salt, pepper and cumin seeds and mix in.

4. Add the water – enough to just cover the chicken and vegetables. Add the carcass and the parsley (including the stalks).

5. Bring the contents to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer for an hour, preferably with the lid off. At this point, the meat should be falling off the bone.

6. Remove the carcass, any scum, and the bay leaf, thyme and parsley and discard them for compost.

7. Remove the drumsticks and other meaty bits of chicken and set aside. Use a stick blender to blitz the vegetables and then remove any foam.

8. Add the cream and mix in, then gently bring the soup back to a simmer.

9. To serve, shred the chicken meat and add it back to the soup along with a few more cumin seeds. My other serving suggestion is to place sliced carrot in a bowl, pour the soup, then add the shredded chicken, chopped parsley and croutons.