Since publishing I LOVE YOU FOOD, I’ve taken a break from developing recipes… with the exception of this one. I think I’ve tested this at least once a fortnight for the last year and finally, by Jove, she’s got it!

With the right stock base you can create myriad versions of this soup and today I’m giving you two. But first, the base:

1 whole free range chicken
2 heads of garlic, cloves separated (not peeled)
1 brown onion, peeled and quartered
2 carrots, washed and quartered (not peeled)
1 celery stick, washed and quartered
Tbsp whole black peppercorns
Bay leaves
Olive oil
1 tbsp fish sauce

Place all ingredients bar the olive oil and fish sauce in a large stock pot and cover with water. Place on a low heat, covered, and poach the chicken for 45 mins starting from the time the water starts boiling. Remove the chicken and allow to cool until it’s not too hot to handle.

Remove all the chicken skin and lay it in pieces on a large baking tray lined with foil. Remove all the cooked meat and set it aside for later. Chop up the carcass (I use poultry scissors for this part) and try to cut through any joints so that the marrow is exposed. Place all these pieces on the baking tray with the skin then lightly coat with olive and a sprinkling of salt. Roast in the oven at 180 degrees for 40 mins, tossing & turning the pieces at the halfway mark.

Once your bones and skin are golden brown, pop them into the original stock pot with the garlic and the carrot etc, lid on and cook at a low temp for at least 3 hours. Remove the lid and cook for a further 45 mins to an hour.

Strain… and as you do so gently push on the very soft pieces of garlic to infuse the soup with their sweet goodness. It’s up to you how hard you go with this bit but I do so with about half of the garlic. Bring the strained soup to a gentle simmer, add the fish sauce plus a drop of olive oil and keep simmering for about 15 minutes or until you are satisfied with both texture and flavour.

What you should have now is a sticky, sweet yet umami broth that’s yours (all yours!) to do with what you please. 

Here are my two faves… click on the picture to be taken to the recipe.