So I recently finished reading the Outlander series (by Diana Gabaldon), much of which takes place in 18th century Scotland.  There are 6 books in the series, with each one about 1000 pages long...that's a lot of pages!  What can I say, my bookclub got me started on the first one in May, and I just had to read the rest of them. 

Anyway, after all the Scottish historical background, I was inspired to come up with a recipe for this traditional Scottish dish.  If you ever find yourself at Robert Burns Night party, this is what they'll serve (along with lots of whiskey).  The soup is made of chicken and leeks, with a garnish of parsley and prunes.  We all thought it was delicious.  I wasn't sure about the prunes at first, but they really worked.  The kids gave a huge thumbs up.  My husband, always the funny one, was a little leary.

Him: "You're making what?..."
Me: "Cock-a-leekie soup!"
Him:"...Are you just testing me now?"
Me: "No, it's a real dish.  You're Scottish!! Haven't you heard of it??"
Him:"Please tell me they call it that because there's chicken in it.  I don't even want to know what the leekie part is."

In the end, he loved it.  It's a really easy recipe, ready quickly, very healthy, and a great conversation starter.  If you like leeks, this is the soup for you.  Trader Joe's recently started selling trimmed leeks (2 to a pack).  I tend to use a lot of the darker green part of the leek, so I'll often get my leeks elsewhere if it's convenient (yes it's true!). If you use very small or trimmed leeks, you will nee d about 3-4 of them.

Cock-a-leekie Soup

2 large leeks (about 8 cups chopped leeks)
2 raw chicken breasts (or use TJ's Just Chicken)
2 32 oz cartons chicken broth (8 cups total)
1 lb potatoes (I used Yukon Gold), diced (about 3 cups diced 1/2" cubes)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 cup milk
Pitted prunes and parsley for garnish

1) Slice the leek in half lengthwise, rinse out any bits of soil, and slice into half-moon slices.  (What I like to do it cut a few round 1/2-inch wide slices from the leek starting from the white end first just to have those pretty round cross-sections.)
2) In a large pot, add the broth and potatoes.  Bring to boil and then lower to a simmer.
3) Toss in the leeks and chicken breasts.  Simmer for 20-25 minutes.
4) Remove the chicken breasts and shred of cut them into small, bite sized pieces.
5) Add the chicken back to the pot and add the milk.  Simmer for a few additional minutes.
6) When serving, top with about 1 Tbsp parsley and 2 prunes sliced into thin pieces.

On Monday I'm hosting the latest bookclub meeting and dinner.  The book is Shantaram (another very long one!) and I really enjoyed reading it.  I'm thinking dinner will be curried veggies, raita, naan, and hey... maybe even the Saag Paneer Lasagna from the cookbook!