Homemade Scotch Broth
Submitted by sandimacpherson
Homemade Scotch broth simmers meaty beef bones with pearl barley, carrots, celery, and turnip into a clear, restorative Highland soup. A frugal, cold-weather classic from start to finish.
YIELD
16 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
3 hrsREADY
3 hrsReal Scotch broth starts with bones, not stock cubes. Simmering meaty beef bones in salted water for two hours pulls out the gelatin that gives the finished soup its silky body and quiet richness.
Chilling the broth and skimming the fat is the step most modern cooks rush past. Don’t. That cold-skim makes the difference between a clear, clean-tasting Highland broth and a greasy bowl. The flavor sharpens overnight, too.
Pearl barley is the soul of the soup. It plumps as it cooks, lending nutty chew and thickening the broth without flour or cream. The trio of carrot, celery, and turnip is traditional Scottish kitchen-garden cooking. Turnip in particular gives that earthy, slightly peppery bite you can’t fake with another vegetable.
Serve with thick wedges of buttered bread and you’ve got the whole supper.
Kitchen Tips
- Roast the soup bones at 425°F (220°C) for 30 minutes before simmering to deepen the broth’s color and flavor.
- Skim the foam that rises in the first 20 minutes for the cleanest broth.
- Soak the pearl barley 30 minutes ahead so it cooks evenly with the vegetables.
- Make it a day in advance. Scotch broth always tastes better on day two.
Variations
Ingredients
Directions
In a large kettle, combine soup bones, water, salt and peppercorns. Cover and simmer for 2 hours or until the meat comes easily off the bones. Remove bones. Strain broth; cool and chill. Skim off fat.
Remove meat from bones; dice and return to broth along with the remaining ingredients. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 1 hour or until the vegetables are barley are tender.
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