This soup is the greatest! I have been making it for years. Over 40 years ago Campbell's Soup made a condensed Scotch Broth soup. It started getting expensive and very hard to find. Now they don't make it at all. So back in the 70's I looked at the ingredients on the can and realized it was made with mutton. I started getting lamb bones at the butcher and adding all the ingredients that were listed on the can. The can did list rutabaga as one of the vegetables. I have added potatoes as a substitute when I didn't have rutabaga on hand. I LOVE barley so I do not use the quick cooking as it can have a much softer texture. I usually add 1/2 cup more barley than what the recipe calls for. I was given several pounds of turnips and while searching for turnip recipes I ran across this version of Scotch Broth. Simply delicious. Don't expect a beefy flavor, it is much different, but oh soooo good. Step outside the box if you have not tried it. I hope you love it as much as my family does.
At least she used lamb! The other recipes are NOT Scotch Broth which must use lamb. There is a much easier way to make it:
Soak half a cup of pearl barley overnight
Put 2 pounds of meaty lamb shanks, one yellow onion quartered and a tsp.- tbsp. of peppercorns in a large pot and cover with cold water. Bring to boil and skim. Reduce heat, partially cover for 2 hrs.
Strain and skim adding meat on the bones. Now.
Bring broth and meat to a boil in a pot with the following diced nice and small - 1 cup each onion, carrots, parsnips, turnip (or rutabaga) and add the strained barley.You can add celery if you wish. Bring to boil, reduce heat, then simmer an hour. Season as needed.
I found this soup to be very tasty and satisfying. The next time I make it I plant to make more or I will simply keep it all to myself. It didn't last long.
Ilove chopping and dicing so this recipe is good therapy for those who enjoy that. The soup was great. I followed these instructions but cut back on the turnip and onion because mine were very large so I only used one in the final soup. This was perfect on a cold November night in Colorado.
A delicious soup that my entire family enjoyed. I made a double batch and froze the leftovers. You'll want to add salt and pepper to taste when you serve it.
Made according to the recipe this dish tastes bland. Add a teaspoon of dried oregano thyme summer savory basil or mint -- all of which go nicely with lamb -- to give it more flavor.
I was able to make this soup edible by adding a handful of garlic but over all it was a time consuming expensive castastrophe. The prep time should be noted as more like two hours between all the straining stripping chopping and mincing. It absolutely did not taste anything like my idea of scotch broth and it combined badly with other foods.
This was fantastic according to my family ( I dont eat meat derived from mammals). Here are the modifications that I made: I sauteed one lamb shank and three lamb chops with two large finely chopped onions till onions and the lamb turned a bit brown. Added one tablespoon of ginger garlic paste and bay leaves. Sauteed an additional 2-3 minutes. Added 3 small carrots and 2 very small ( probably equal to one medium sized turnip) 1 cup of finely chopped celery 1 tsp of celery salt salt and pepper. Added 8 cups of water and boiled followed by simmering for 2.5 hours. After pulling out large chunks of carrots turnip meat and bones I added 2/3 cup pre-soaked barley let the broth simmer for 30 minutes while I chopped the meat. Then I added back freshly chopped turnip carrots and celery along with the chopped meat seasoned with 1.5 teaspoons of freshly ground pepper. Let thins simmer for additional 10 minutes at medium high heat. Everyone loved it.
