Ingredients:
6 carrots
6 sticks celery
2 onions, peeled and roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
4 whole peppercorns
1 higher-welfare roast chicken carcass, with leftover chicken attached
1 large knob butter
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
4 shallots, peeled and finely sliced
a few sprigs of fresh flat-leaf parsley, leaves picked, stalks finely chopped
2 handfuls seasonal greens, such as kale or cavalo nero, washed and shredded
200 g spinach, roughly shredded
1 lemon
Procedure:
Wash 2 of your carrots and 2 of your celery sticks and roughly chop them. Add them to a large saucepan with the onions, bay leaves, peppercorns, a pinch of sea salt and the chicken carcass. Fill the pan with cold water so that everything is covered, then place on the heat and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook for 1 hour, skimming off any scum that rises to the surface from time to time.
About 20 minutes before your stock is ready, crack on with the base for your soup. Peel your remaining carrots, wash your remaining celery, and slice them nice and evenly, about ½cm thick. In another large saucepan on a low heat, melt your butter with a good lug of olive oil. Add the garlic, shallots and chopped parsley stalks and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the carrots and celery and cook for a further 5 minutes.
When your stock is ready, remove the chicken carcass, pull off any remaining pieces of meat and leave to one side, then discard the carcass. Strain your stock through a sieve into the pan with your softened veg. Bring to the boil then simmer for 20 minutes. Add your seasonal greens and cook for a further 10 minutes, adding the spinach for the last minute. Finish the soup by squeezing in the juice of your lemon, then taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Divide between bowls and top with any leftover shredded chicken, a sprinkling of parsley leaves and a good bit of freshly ground black pepper.
