Scotch Broth
Scottish Recipe 003 - Scotch Broth
Scotch Broth is a traditional Scottish soup. Originally the broth would have been made using whatever ingredients were available at the time or whatever the family produced. Most commonly this was meat, cereals and vegetables. This may explain why there are so many recipes for the soup. Often the broth would have been the main meal of the day rather than as a starter as commonly seen on many menus today.
Nowadays Scotch broth is made using mutton or 1 year old lamb but occasionally a cheap cut of beef is used. To the meat is added dried peas and pearl barley and an assortment of vegetables, traditionally carrots, turnips (or swedes), cabbage and leeks. The quantities of each vegetable vary with the recipe.
Scotch broth was traditionally a seasonal food eaten in winter. Although it is still treated as such in most restaraunts it's mass production has led to an all year round demand.
Campbell's scotch broth is famous for 2 things! It is one of the most popular soups made by Campbell's. So popular that Andy Warhol produced a piece of art based upon their labeling (see towards the bottom of this page). Other companies, such as Heinz , produce their version of Scotch broth but nothing beats the traditional homemade soup ;-)
In the past it would have been common for a very large amount of the broth be produced and it be eaten over a number of days. This may have been to save time but Scotch Broth improves with standing. Often the best soup is the one that has been left cold for a day or two. So, if you are going to make some yourself consider cooking it the day before it will be needed. This can NOT be said for the canned varieties from your local supermarket!
Scotch Broth Recipe
Scotch Broth Ingredients
| Imperial | Metric | American | |
| Mutton | 1 lb | 450 g | 1 lb |
| Cold water | 4 pints | 2.25 litres | 10 cups |
| Salt | 1 tsp | 1 tsp | 1 tsp |
| Pepper | ¼ tsp | ¼ tsp | ¼ tsp |
| Pearl barley | 1 oz | 25g | 1/8 cup |
| Onions | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Leeks | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Grated carrot | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Chopped kail (kale) | 4 tbsp | 4 tbsp | 4 tbsp |
Method:
Wipe the meat with a clean, damp cloth, then place (without removing the bones) in a large saucepan and add the water, seasonings and barley. Halve and slice the onions and leeks, add to the soup and simmer gently for about 1 hour.
The mutton can be taken out in one piece, if wished, and served as a separate course. I t can also be diced and returned to the soup. If serving with the soup, skim the excess grease from the top, add the grated carrot and kail, simmering for a further-10 minutes before serving.
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