Chicken, white bean and silverbeet soup

Making a pot of soup on a Sunday afternoon is incredibly satisfying. I'm not one to rigidly follow recipes - once you have a base of onion or leek, and have added your stock, you can mix it up with vegetable combinations. Seasoning is important, and you can have a lot of fun with garnishes - fresh herbs, a dollop of yoghurt or something creamy, lemon zest, a drizzle of good-quality oil: it's up to you. As the cold weather continues, try a new recipe and put your own stamp on it. I love a bit of chilli to add heat to my soup, and I can't go past a good-quality sourdough for my accompanying toast.

For the stock

2	Organic chicken frame, approx. 800g, we used Bostock's organic chicken frames (Main)
2	Carrots
2	Celery stalks, chopped
2 Tbsp	Peppercorns
1 head	Garlic, cut in half lengthways
1 small bunch	Fresh thyme
1 small bunch	Fresh parsley
3 Ltr	Water

Soup

1 pot	Chicken stock, use the quantity made here (Main)
400 g	Chicken breasts, alternatively use thighs (Main)
1	Carrot, sliced
2 cups	Silverbeet, chopped, or use spinach, baby silverbeet or baby spinach leaves (Main)
1 can	Cannellini beans, approx. 330g (Main)
1 Tbsp	Worcestershire sauce
1 Tbsp	Hot sauce, eg. sriracha
1 small bunch	Flat leaf (Italian) parsley
1 small	Lemon, zested

Directions

1. For the stock, place all ingredients in a large, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring gently to the boil and simmer for 2-3 hours. Strain the stock through a sieve and use for the soup.
2. To make the soup, place the stock, chicken and carrot slices in a medium saucepan and gently bring to the boil. Reduce heat to a gentle simmer, cover and cook for about 15 minutes.
3. Remove the chicken and carefully shred using two forks, then return to the pot.
4. Add the silverbeet (or spinach), beans, Worcester sauce and hot sauce.
5. Continue to heat through, and taste and adjust seasoning as necessary.
6. Serve in small bowls with the parsley and a little lemon zest.

Another warming soup from Delaney

• Moroccan beef and chickpea soup