Chicken & Vegetable Soup                                                                 Serves 4-6

 

1 kg chicken breast or 1 whole chicken, chopped into large chunks

2.5L water

1 large onion, peeled and quartered

4 carrots, thickly chopped

2 celery stalks with leaves, thickly chopped

1 medium leek, trimmed and chopped

½ cup of peas

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 small bunch of fresh parsley, leaves picked and chopped

 

1. Remove any visible fat and skin from chicken. Place the chicken, onion, carrots and celery into a large, deep pan and pour in water making sure it’s covered.
2. Bring to the boil, then turn down to simmer. Use a large spoon to skim off any fat and scum that rises to the surface. Simmer on a medium heat for 1½ hours or until the chicken is cooked through. Continue to remove any scum and fat throughout.
3. Remove the chicken from the pan and strain the broth using a sieve. Put the vegetables aside for later. Put the broth back on a high heat and allow to reduce for 15 minutes until there's about 2 litres left.
4. Meanwhile, shred the cooked chicken into long chunks. Once the broth has reduced, throw the vegetables back in the pan with the peas, leeks, thyme and chicken. Simmer for a further 5 minutes, then remove the sprigs of thyme.
5. Serve in warm bowls sprinkled with chopped parsley.

 

Pumpkin & Leek Soup                                                      Serves 4

 750g peeled butternut pumpkin, cut into 4cm-thick pieces

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoon olive oil

8 sprigs fresh thyme

1 leek, finely sliced

2 x 440g cans of chickpeas

4cm knob of ginger, peeled and finely chopped

2 litres low-salt vegetable stock