A Rick Stein favourite this rich, hearty soup is full of the flavours of winter making it ideal for a cold evening.
Serves 4–6
500g chicken drumsticks, skinned
2 celery sticks, roughly chopped
2 peeled carrots, roughly chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs thyme
1 tsp salt
100g butter
2 large onions (extra), thickly sliced
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1kg sebago potatoes
bouquet garni of 2 bay leaves, 1 thyme sprig
and a few parsley stalks
1 tsp salt (extra)
80ml double cream
sunflower oil, for shallow frying
50g chorizo, thinly sliced and skin removed
2 tbsp parsley, chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 To make chicken stock, put drumsticks, celery, carrot, onion and 2.5 litres water in a large saucepan. Bring to the boil, skimming off any residue. Reduce heat and simmer for 2 hours. Add bay leaves, thyme and salt 15 minutes before using. Strain through a fine sieve.
2 To make soup, melt butter in a large saucepan. Add onion (extra) and garlic and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until very soft but not browned. Add potato, 1.2 litres of the chicken stock (reserve remaining stock), bouquet garni and salt (extra). Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes.
3 Remove and discard bouquet garni and liquidise soup in batches until smooth. Return soup to a clean saucepan, bring it almost back to the boil and stir in double cream. Stir in a little more stock if necessary to give the soup a good consistency.
4 To deep-fry chorizo, heat 1cm oil in a medium-sized saucepan. Separate chorizo slices, drop them in hot oil and fry for about 5 seconds until crisp and lightly golden. Lift out with a slotted spoon and drain on kitchen paper. Crumble chorizo into small pieces and mix with parsley.
5 To serve, ladle soup into warmed bowls, sprinkle chorizo mix in the centre and season with salt and pepper.