Scotch Broth Soup Recipe

Scotch Broth is a great soup for winter days, thick and hearty in texture with great fresh flavours. Above are the main ingredients for the soup recipe and below is a picture of the lamb stock I made using a lamb bone for the Scotch broth. Lamb stock is made by putting all the leftovers from a roast leg of lamb into a pan with rosemary, bay leaves, water, some carrots and onions to add flavour, salt and pepper. Boil for about one hour, strain through a sieve and use. Ingredients for Scotch Broth Recipe

2cups--8 oz--250gm carrots, diced---dice all vegetables to about 1/2"--1cm cubes

2 cups--8 oz--250 gm turnips, diced

2 onions, diced

1 stick of celery, diced

4 leeks, sliced

1/2 cup--3 to 4 oz--75 to 125 gm pearl barley

1/2 cup--4 oz--125 gm dried peas soaked for 4 hours

salt and pepper

about 4 pints--2.3 litres of lamb stock, use a stock cube or make your own stock

Method

Put the stock in a large pan.

Add all the ingredients and simmer gently for a couple of hours, so that the peas become mushy and the barley is soft.

Serve with hot bread rolls or oat cakes with cheese.

Garnish with fresh herbs.

Scotch Broth soup ready to simmer.

Check out the Archives and labels below for other ideas using these vegetables, just click on the Labels.

FOLIC ACID IN A HEALTHY DIET

In my Times newspaper 24 November 2006 there was an article that said that folic acid can help in the reduction of heart disease and strokes. Previous research has found that it can help some cancers and Alzheimer's disease. The sources of this folic acid ( vitamin B) are in the following foods, green leafy vegetables such as Brussels sprouts, broccoli, spinach and green beans, oranges, dried beans, peas and lentils. I am hoping to include more soup recipes which include these delicious foods and help us to have a healthy life style and healthy diet.

PEA and HAM SOUP

Ingredients to serve 4
80z-225gm 1 cup of green peas (soak peas in water overnight, rinse and drain.
1.5litres-2.5 pints of ham stock water
1 ham shank,soak overnight in water to remove salt, throw away the water.
2 carrots chopped
2 onions chopped
1 leek sliced finely
3 bay leaves
salt and fresh ground black pepper
Method
Place the ham shank in a large pan and cover with water, add bay leaves and seasoning, bring to the boil and simmer for 40 mins until the ham is cooked. Remove the cooked ham from the bone and put in reserve.
In a separate pan place the soaked peas, cover with the ham stock and bring to the boil. Add the leek, onion and carrots. Add the ham bone, taste and season with salt and pepper. Simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the ham bone and liquidise the soup in a blender. Return to the pan and simmer.
Serve the soup with the diced ham as a garnish.
Variations
1. Use yellow split peas as an alternative.
2. Use split peas and green peas.
3. Garnish with fresh chopped herbs such as parsley or coriander.
4. Add more carrots or do more peas and leave out the carrots.
5. Experiment with the flavours and ingredients that you enjoy.