A nice, flavourful soup from Scotland. Good for cold days or just common colds.

Cock-a-leekie Soup Recipe
1 plump old cock
or 3-4 chicken joints
or 3-4 chicken quarters
2 qt water
2 bay leaves
5-6 sprigs thyme
1 sm bunch parsley
6-8 leeks, sliced
1/4 c rice
12-16 whole prunes
salt and pepper to taste

Clean and truss fowl. If using joints or quarters, skip this step, though it's much easier to remove one mass instead of 3 or 4: consider using cooking twine to tie them together. Place in a large pot with water. If the water does not cover the chicken, add enough so it does.

Tie the bay leaf, thyme, and a sprig of parsley together. Add the herb bundle, salt and pepper, and two of the leeks to the pot. Simmer for one hour, then skim off the fat, remove the fowl, and strain the soup.

Add the remaining leeks, rice, and prunes. Simmer gently until leeks, rice, and prunes are tender, approximately half an hour. You may add some or all of the chicken back into the soup at this time - there certainly should be at least some chicken in it!

This serves 6, nominally. If cooking for one, either be prepared to eat this soup for three or four days, or reduce the quantities!

Ith gu leòir!