Chicken Stock Broth with Cavolo Nero

This is for those times when you’ve had a chicken and then had the energy or foresight to make stock out of the carcass.  I know I should every time but I admit I don’t always…. When I do I often use part or all of it for this soup.  It has the most pure and nurturing taste and with the addition of a little finely chopped cavolo nero, or similar, makes a lunch which seems to contain such health giving properties that is should be on prescription.

A tricky one to break down into amounts and ingredients.  In truth this is just the reduced stock – use the amount you need for a couple of bowls of soup – to which you’ve added a few leaves of finely shredded cavolo nero and allowed it to cook briefly in the hot liquid until tender.  I can’t say that a splash of dry sherry wouldn’t finish this off a treat.

If I had a cold I would deem it entirely appropriate to add a little chopped chilli or indeed head East altogether with a bashed stalk of lemongrass, a bruised kaffir lime leaf and a final sprinkle of coriander.  Choices, choices, now all I have to do is go and roast a chicken.  Or, whisper this, go and buy some very good ready made stock……