Dad’s Chicken Broth recipe from Rough Patch

To celebrate the publication of Rough Patch by Kathy Slack we’re sharing a recipe taken from her book, perfect for the winter time, to share with you.

One of the therapies that work paid for was acupuncture. Now, I am usually cynical about such things. I put acupuncture in the same bracket as homeopathy and labelled it Snake Oil. But a worried, helpful friend recommended it and at that point I was prepared to try anything. Also, I doubt my critical faculties were up to arguing the point. It was easier to acquiesce. And thank goodness I did. I still couldn’t say what it was about acupuncture that helped. Maybe it was the pain, which is brief but enough to concentrate the mind. It was like a slap in the face to all the guests at the Critics’ Cocktail Party that stunned them into astonished silence. It might also have been the very kind, wise gentleman who was quietly but intently focused on nothing but making me better for an hour every week. Or perhaps it was because he fixed the qi in my system. Whatever, something made me calmer. The acupuncture guy gave me some advice too: avoid sugar, learn meditation, that sort of thing. All of which was sound. His other tip was to make soup; specifically, chicken broth. He believed that it was so full of nutrients and goodness that it could comfort even the most addled mind.

This recipe is my dad’s chicken broth recipe. It has always been legendary in our household, and I turn to it still for comfort and solace.

Serves 4–5

For the stock:
1 chicken carcass
2 bay leaves
A bunch of thyme
½ onion
1 celery stick
For the soup:
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
3 celery sticks, finely diced
2 carrots, finely diced
1 leek, finely sliced
2 bay leaves
2 fat garlic cloves, crushed
175g potatoes (new or old), halved
150g mushrooms, chopped
200g leftover cooked chicken, shredded
120g frozen peas
120g frozen sweetcorn
100ml double cream (optional)

When it comes to broth, stock is everything. A stock cube won’t cut it, and making your own is really very simple. I know some chefs make a fuss of stock, skimming it and whatnot, but this method suits me just fine. I always make a batch with the bones left over from a whole roast chicken, freezing the resulting stock until needed. And don’t worry about using cooked bones for stock. Whatever they say on MasterChef about raw bones being essential for stock, a cooked carcass is perfectly serviceable and why waste it? Plus, you can pick the leftover meat off the bones to add to the soup later too. So, having banished your stock anxieties, find a pan big enough to contain the bones without them poking out over the top of the pan. Put the bones in this pan together with the other stock ingredients. Cover with cold water (about 1.5–2 litres should do it) and bring to a very gentle simmer, the surface of the liquid only just blipping away, with no lid on, for 2 hours.

Meanwhile, in another large pan or casserole pot, melt the butter and olive oil together over a medium heat, add the diced celery, carrot, leek, bay leaves and a pinch of salt and sweat, lid on, for 10–15 minutes. The vegetables should be translucent and not browned. Add the garlic in the final couple of minutes.

Once the stock is ready, strain the liquid into the casserole pot of vegetables and discard the bones, etc. Add the potatoes, mushrooms and chicken to the pot. Bring the broth to a gentle simmer and leave to bubble
for 20 minutes, or until the potatoes are cooked.

Stir in the peas and sweetcorn (they only need a minute to defrost in the broth) and check the seasoning; it usually needs more salt and a twist of pepper. (At this point you can add any greens or wiltable veg – chard,
kale, etc. – you have to hand that need using up.) For a richer broth, pour in enough cream to make the soup silky and luscious. You can add some chopped herbs, like parsley, if you are feeling fancy.

Serve in warmed bowls with hunks of bread. Comfort in a bowl.