Jeeves, bring me my gin & tonic...and my self-tanner, straight away!

From Fergus Henderson's "Nose to Tail Eating", Cock-a-leekie Soup.

Tony Bourdain has named a Golden Clog Award in his name, he'll eat anything, and cooks all parts of the animal. Here is his recipe for that soup I had in the line-up a few days back:

Think in a British Accent please..oh and naturally know that 1 kg -=2.2 lbs., 1 ounce=28.35 grams, 16 ounces = 2 cups or 454 grams, or .45 kg.

Serves 8

Ingredient list:

Need 1kg brined beef brisket (brine for up to 10-12 days...brine recipe below)
Need 1 free-range chicken
4 peeled onions
2 carrots
4 cleaned leeks
2 sticks of celery
4 bay leaves
20 peppercorns
fresh thyme, parsley, rosemary

Finishing:
5 leeks, cleaned and sliced across
the smallest dash of duck fat or olive oil
24 prunes, stone-in, and preferable Agen prunes if you can find them

Brine:

400 g of caster sugar
600 g of sea salt
12 juniper berries
12 cloves
12 black peppercorns
3 bay leaves
4 litres of water

Bring all of the brine ingredients together in a pot, bring to the boil so the sugar and salt melt. Decant into a container and allow to cool...[be sure to turn around three times to the left while this occurs]. When cold, add your meat, man! Leave in brine for required recipe. Put it in the fridge too.


Okay, whew, here is the rest of the recipe (and have that self-tanner near by):

Place brined brisket and accompanying vegetables (2 peeled onions, 2 carrots, 2 leeks, 2 bay leaves, 10 peppercorns, and bundle of thyme and parsley) in a pot and cover with fresh water. Bring to the boil, then straightaway reduce to a very gentle and english-like simmer, skimming constantly. This should only take about 2.5 hours, so feel free to apply self-tanner before-hand and do it all in the buff. When the beef feels as giving as you do, stop the heat and allow beef to cool off in the broth...oh, and you can now rinse yourself.

While all that is happening, and prior to applying the self-tanner, place the chicken in a pot with its team of veggies (2 peeled onions, 2 clean leeks, 2 sticks of celery, 2 bays leaves, 10 peppercorns, bundle of thyme, some parsley, and 2 shoots of rosemary...fresh naturally). Bring your chickie to a boil, then place a lid on the pan and remove from the heat. Go ahead. Allow to cool in the stock. It will cook again, so no worries.

Go have a gin and tonic and come back for the rest of the recipe...and take a leekie whilst you are add it.

Okay.

Remove beef and chickie from their stocks and cut into pieces so that one could eat them with a spoon. Strain both stocks seperatley, then add the beef stock to the chicken stock to taste. It might be quite salty, so be careful. Taste and add more if you need to.

Finish it now!

Now, in a pot large enough to construct your soup, sweat your sliced leeks in the duck fat or olive oil for about 6-8 minutes. This brings out their "leekie" nature (and brings out the devil in me). Pour on the stock. Add the chopped meats, bring to another gentle English simmer, and let the meat heat through. At precisley 3 minutes before serving, add the prunes just giving them time to puff up (like I do after eating cabbage). Serve in big bowls with rustic bread.

And you thought soup meant opening a can? Come back soon for his recipe for Pea and Pig's Ear Soup. Delicious! Honest.