Making a pot of soup on a Sunday afternoon is incredibly satisfying. I'm not one to rigidly follow recipes - once you have a base of onion or leek, and have added your stock, you can mix it up with vegetable combinations. Seasoning is important, and you can have a lot of fun with garnishes - fresh herbs, a dollop of yoghurt or something creamy, lemon zest, a drizzle of good-quality oil: it's up to you. As the cold weather continues, try a new recipe and put your own stamp on it. I love a bit of chilli to add heat to my soup, and I can't go past a good-quality sourdough for my accompanying toast.
For the stock
2
Organic chicken frame, approx. 800g, we used Bostock's organic chicken frames (Main)
2
Carrots
2
Celery stalks, chopped
2 Tbsp
Peppercorns
1 head
Garlic, cut in half lengthways
1 small bunch
Fresh thyme
1 small bunch
Fresh parsley
3 Ltr
Water
Soup
1 pot
Chicken stock, use the quantity made here (Main)
400 g
Chicken breasts, alternatively use thighs (Main)
1
Carrot, sliced
2 cups
Silverbeet, chopped, or use spinach, baby silverbeet or baby spinach leaves (Main)
For the stock, place all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring gently to the boil and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain the stock through a sieve and use for the soup.
To make the soup, place the stock, chicken and carrot slices in a medium saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
Remove the chicken and carefully shred using two forks, then return to the pot.
Add the silverbeet (or spinach), beans, Worcester sauce and hot sauce.
Continue to heat through, and taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
Serve in small bowls with the parsley and a little lemon zest.