Hearty Chicken & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 leek, halved, washed, thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed
• 1 large carrot, peeled, diced
• 2 sticks celery, diced
• 2 small zucchini, diced
• 1 swede or turnip, peeled, diced
• 1  and a 1/4 cups of dry soup mix, rinsed (see note)
• 8 cups chicken stock
• 1kg skinless chicken lovely legs

Method:

1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add leek and garlic. Cook, stirring, for 2 minutes or until soft but not coloured.
2. Add carrot, celery, zucchini and swede. Cook for a further 2 minutes.
3. Stir in soup mix, stock, chicken and 1 cup cold water. Increase heat to high. Bring to the boil.
4. Once the mixture comes to the boil, reduce the heat to low and simmer (partially covered and stirring occasionally) for 1 hour or until soup mix and vegetables are tender.
5. At this point, remove the chicken legs from the soup and allow to cool slightly before removing the meat from the bones. Roughly chop chicken meat and add this back into the soup.
6. Season with salt and pepper, and ladle soup into warmed bowls to serve.

Note: Packet dry soup mix is a combination of split peas and lentils. You can find it near the chickpeas in the supermarket.

Recipe from: Super Food Ideas – July 2006 , Page 67, by Michelle Lucia and photograph by Mark O’Meara.

http://www.taste.com.au/recipes/705/hearty+chicken+and+vegetable+soup