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"Auld
Reekie"
Cock-a-Leekie Soup
Caramel Shortcake
Scottish
Cocktails
The "Auld Reekie" does not refer to the soup being "smokey" but to the origins of the recipe in Edinburgh which used to be called Auld Reekie in the days of coal fires. Cock-a-Leekie soup makes a regular appearance in Scottish kitchens but this variation has a special ingredient - Scotch whisky! It will, as the say, "stick to your ribs".
Ingredients:
3lb boiling chicken (giblets removed)
3 slices of streaky bacon
1lb shin of beef
2 lb leeks
1 large onion
5 fluid ounces Scotch whisky
4 pints water
1 level tablespoon dried tarragon
Salt and pepper
8 pre-soaked prunes (optional but traditional!)
Method:
Mix the whisky, tarragon and sugar in the water. Chop up
the bacon and place the chicken, bacon and beef in a
large bowl and pour over the whisky marinade. Leave to
soak overnight. Place the chicken etc in a large soup
pot. Chop up the leeks (reserve one) and onion and add
to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring to the boil,
cover and simmer for two hours, removing any scum as
required. Remove the chicken from the pot, remove skin
and bones. Chop the meat into small pieces and return to
the pot. Cut up the shin of beef, if required. Add the
prunes and the last chopped leek and simmer for 10 to 15
minutes. It will serve up to eight people.