Chicken in the pot with vegetables and barley
It sounds very plain, but this is one of the best things I cook. It’s like a very substantial version of the chicken soup my family grew up with. My mum adds boiled potatoes to the finished dish. You can spoon on buttermilk or cream, too, or offer mustard on the side.
Ingrediënten
- 4 leeks
- 300 g 10½oz long slim carrots, preferably with greenery
- 1½ tbsp olive oil
- 1 medium-sized chicken about 1.6kg/3lb 8oz
- salt and pepper
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 2 celery sticks finely chopped
- bouquet garni plus more parsley stalks
- 200 ml 7fl oz dry vermouth
- 55 g 2oz pearl barley
- about 4 tbsp chopped flat-leaf parsley leaves
Instructies
- Remove the discoloured outer layers from the leeks and trim the dark tops.
- Cut them into 4cm (1½in) lengths and wash thoroughly under running water to remove any trapped soil.
- Trim the carrots (if you’ve bought them in a bunch leave a little of the tufty top on each).
- Wash really well, but don’t peel.
- If you have fatter carrots, cut them in halves or quarters lengthways.
- Heat the olive oil in a heavy-based casserole over a medium heat and brown the chicken on all sides.
- I use wooden spoons to help me turn it over.
- Try not to tear the skin while you’re doing this and season as you go.
- Remove the chicken, set it aside and add the onion and celery to the pot.
- Sauté gently until the onion is softening but isn’t coloured, about five minutes.
- Return the chicken and add the bouquet garni, parsley stalks, carrots, a good grinding of black pepper, the vermouth and 800ml (1 pint 7fl oz) of water.
- Bring to the boil, then immediately reduce the heat right down, cover and poach the chicken for 1½ hours.
- The water must not boil; it has to be gentle or the chicken will become tough.
- When the chicken has 45 minutes of cooking time left, add the barley.
- When there are 15 minutes left, add the leeks.
- At the end, add the chopped parsley.
- Serve in big broad soup plates, giving each person some of the vegetables, barley, broth and chicken.
- My mum serves boiled potatoes with this, which you can break up in your broth, or buttered wheaten (soda) bread.
- I must admit to gilding the lily a little (well, why not? ) and offer cream, mustard and – sometimes – even horseradish.
- It also goes well with the accompaniments you serve with Little (ish) bollito misto, though of course that’s not remotely authentic.
