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LEEKS, SOUP OF (commonly called Cock-a-Leekie)
Wash a dozen leeks; trim away the roots, the outer leaves, and the dark green ends, and divide them into pieces an inch long and a quarter of an inch thick. Put them into boiling water for four or five minutes, then drain them, and lay half of them in a stewpan with two quarts of good stock and a large fowl, trussed as for boiling. Skim carefully, and simmer gently for half an hour. At the end of that time put in the remainder of the leeks, and boil for three-quarters of an hour longer. Skim carefully, and season, if required, with pepper and salt. Cut the fowl into neat pieces, place these in a tureen, and pour the soup, which should be very thick with leeks, over them. This soup is excellent for anyone suffering from cold. Probable cost, 2s. per quart. Sufficient for six or eight persons. (See also COCK-A-LEEKIE.)
A straightforward one-pot soup, but the proportions matter more than the method: the leeks are the body of the dish, not a flavouring.
- The hinge: leeks in two stagesHalf go in at the start and cook to near-collapse, thickening the broth; the rest go in later and keep some texture. Adding them all at once gives a thin soup with mushy leeks.
- A dozen leeksAim for about 3 lb trimmed weight — roughly six to eight large modern leeks — rather than counting to twelve.
- "A large fowl"A boiling fowl was an old laying hen, tough and full of flavour, which is why it can take 75 minutes of simmering. Use a 4–5 lb whole chicken, and start checking the thighs at 45–50 minutes; a modern bird overcooks well before the leeks are done.
- Two quarts of good stockTwo imperial quarts, about 2.3 litres. If using bought chicken stock, buy low-salt, since the fowl will add more and the liquid reduces.
- Blanching the leeksThe four-to-five-minute plunge in boiling water is usually said to take the harsh edge off the leeks. Split the trimmed lengths and rinse between the layers first — leeks hold sand in the joints.
- StewpanAny wide, heavy pan that holds the bird plus two quarts with a little headroom — a 6-quart Dutch oven is right.
- SkimmingCalled for twice, and worth doing: the fowl throws a good deal of grey scum in the first ten minutes, and skimming it off is the difference between a clear-tasting soup and a muddy one.
- What is missingMany Scottish versions add prunes, and some a little rice or barley. Cassell's leaves both out; add six to eight stoned prunes for the last 20 minutes if you want the traditional sweet counterpoint.
- YieldSix to eight, as stated, and it is a full meal rather than a first course. Season only at the end, as the recipe directs.
Cock-a-leekie is the Scottish national soup in all but name, and the compound tells you the recipe: cock (a boiling fowl) and leekie (the leeks that carry it). It appears in print by the eighteenth century, and Sir Walter Scott mentions it. The prunes that many cooks consider essential are often said to descend from the older medieval habit of cooking dried fruit with poultry, though the documented trail is thin, and Cassell's here omits them entirely. The note that it is "excellent for anyone suffering from cold" reflects a standing Victorian conviction that leeks and onions were medicinal as well as nourishing — invalid cookery and everyday cookery sat side by side in books like this one.