Souper chicky

Oh, yey!
I made a batch of cosy yet fresh and delicious chicky soup.
You should make it, too!
This recipe is especially for Mrs. G!

For the stock you will need:
1 whole chicken( I always, always, always buy free range chicken. Always).
1 onion, quartered
1 carrot, chopped
2 sticks celery and leaves, chopped
Parsley stalks
10 black pepper corns
Fresh Bay leaf from Nanas garden
Add all of this to a large pot (i like my cast iron one, makes me feel olde-timey) and cover with water and simmer gently for around on hour or until cooked. Skim the scum away if any appears.
Drain through a fine sieve lined with paper towel and chill over night.
Shred the chicken and also chill.

Once the stock is chilled you can remove any hard layer of fat - eww! 

NEXT: you will need
1 diced onion
3-4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
big glug of olive oil
3 stalks of rosemary, leaves picked. Use the stalks as well for flavour and discard before serving.
2 carrots, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
pumpkin, diced
3 cobs of fresh corn, kernels removed.
1 zucchini, diced
sea salt + pepper (lots)
1 cup of brown rice
cooked and shredded chicken
Parmesan and fresh parsley to serve

Fry onion w/ olive oil and a pinch of salt until soft but not brown. Add the garlic and rosemary and cook until soft and fragrant. And then! Add other chopped veggies and stir. At some point add the stock and rice. Once rice is nearly cooked add the chicken and simmer until warmed through. Check for seasoning and add lots of pepper and salt. Sprinkle with loads of fresh parmesan and parsley. Try not to burn your tongue like some silly person may have done. YUM!
This is really good with celery salt.
Of course you can add other veggies if you like.

In cuter news, Popsy is growing up fast. She makes me feel so lucky. Guess what - she can sit and sometimes drop on command. So clever! <3