Ah, Autumn. My favorite time of the year. I’ve been out of school for …. well, let’s not dwell… suffice it to say, I haven’t been wedded to a September through August calendar for a while. However, my body recognizes September as the beginning of the year. Change is imminent. Up north, in Maine, summer tries to keep a toe-hold, but cooler weather is coming. The wind picks up, the nights chill, and the leaves start to change. The air smells spicy and sweet now. The light changes to a warm hue and gilds everything it touches. And I begin to dream of soup – warm, savory broth with veggies, legumes, and grains. One-pot meals that need nothing more than a crusty slice of homemade bread to accompany it.
One of my favorite soups is Scotch Broth. It’s incredibly simple to make and so delicious. Traditionally, the broth is lamb-based. Since I’m a vegetarian, I’ve made some adjustments. I use organic mushroom broth as the base of my soup. Mushroom broth imparts a similar hearty flavor to the soup as lamb, without the meaty flavor I abhor. I dilute it with water, but you might want to play around with the ratio of broth to water – see what makes your taste buds sing! I should also let you know I play fast and loose with the vegetable amounts. Sometimes I want a soup with more zip and I’ll increase the leek and onion (and maybe add a couple cloves of garlic). I’m not fond of cooked carrots, so I tend to be conservative with the amount. Mostly though, I stick to what I’ve written down here.
Crafty Aoife’s Vegetarian Scotch Broth
Approximately 16 cups of water
16 oz of organic mushroom broth (more broth, less water if you want a stronger flavor)
2.5 cups chopped onion (approximately – this time I bought a ginormous vidalia and reserved a bit for an omelet later in the week, but most of it ended up in the soup)
3/4 cup pearl barley (or about 3 handfuls – my hands are small and hold a scant quarter cup of anything dry)
Approximately, 1 cup carrots, cut into bite size pieces (carrots impart a sweetness to the broth – use less or more depending upon what you like)
Approximately, 1 cup of turnip, chopped (turnips lend a wonderful “sparky” flavor to this soup)
3 to 5 leeks chopped (Love the leek! Can’t say enough about the leek!)
1 small cabbage, shredded
Heaping teaspoon of dried tarragon
3 to 4 bay leaves
A few sprigs of fresh rosemary
Salt and Pepper, to taste
Chopped fresh parsley for garnish
1. Bring water and mushroom broth to a boil, then add barley, onions, bay leaves, rosemary sprigs and tarragon. Bring back up to a boil and simmer with lid slightly open for about an hour.
2. Add remaining vegetables, and season to taste. Bring back up to a boil and simmer for about 30 minutes until the veggies are tender.
Serve hot, with parsley sprinkled on top. I like to make toast points with butter and marmite (or a sharp cheddar cheese, like Butler’s, if you can’t get your taste buds around marmite).
Yes, autumn is a truly glorious time.
