SCOTCH BROTH This Scottish recipe has long been popular and each family will have its own version including different vegetables. Broth is ideal for a winter's day. Unlike clear soups made in many other countries, a lot of Scottish soups are thick with the extra water being allowed to boil off. If the soup is very thick, to show their approval, you may hear someone exaggerate "You can stand your spoon up in it." This old recipe dates from the times when the Scots had a very healthy diet.

Ingredients

dried "pearl" barley

dried lentils

dried split peas

1 large potato

1 large onion

4 small carrots

a little of a swede turnip (the large brown ones, yellow inside)

Kale - this traditional Scottish green vegetable is now almost impossible to buy in the shops so perhaps you will have to use a little broccoli instead. Kale has a stronger flavour so don't use too much in the broth.

green beans

vegetable stock - that is, water that has previously been used to boil vegetables and contains some of the flavour of the vegetables. You can save this from your cooking the previous day.

Method

Put a good handful of barley into a pan with cold water.

The barley needs 45 minutes to 1 hour to cook, whereas all the other ingredients cook more quickly so always put the barley in first.

Place the pan on the cooker and bring it to the boil.

Reduce the heat so the barley can cook slowly. Stir from time to time, to make sure the barley does not stick together or stick to the pan.

Peel the skin off the potato, onion, carrots and piece of turnip and cut them into small pieces.

Add the chopped vegetables to the broth. Add the vegetable stock. Increase the heat until the broth is boiling again. When it boils, reduce the heat again so it continues to boil gently.

Add the split peas and lentils.

Continue boiling gently, stirring more often as the broth thickens. If it should become too thick, add more vegetable stock or water.

Wash and chop a little kale or broccoli and the green beans. Do not add them until the broth is almost ready because they will be spoilt if you cook them too long.

When all the ingredients are added and the broth has thickened sufficiently, add salt and pepper. No salt should be added until after the barley is fully cooked.

Serve the broth together with bread or oatcakes. Soup is often served at the start of a meal but if you make plenty, broth can be a full meal itself. Enjoy the warmth!

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