Scotch Broth

Note: although the prep time is 20 minutes, you will need to soak the scotch broth mixture in water, preferably overnight, and rinse it right before use. If you don’t have that kind of time, a couple of hours will do, but there may be some bite to the pulses. Red lentils are a great substitution if you need to make the soup in a hurry.

First, boil the water in the kettle or on the stove in a large Dutch oven/pot. Peel and chop the vegetables in a food processor while you’re waiting for the water to boil. You can do the chopping by hand, but I don’t find the flavours to be the same. You want to have a fairly small dice so the soup is thickened by the vegetables. It’s not your goal to be able to sense each vegetable while you eat it.

After the water boils, turn the heat down to medium/high and dissolve your stock cubes in the water. Once dissolved, add your pulses and cook for 5 minutes on a slow boil. Turn the heat down to medium. Mix in your chopped vegetables and allow to slowly bubble and cook for about 20 minutes. Finally, add your baked beans and stir frequently for an additional 10 minutes to incorporate the flavours and to prevent the soup from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Add some salt and pepper to taste and enjoy with thick slices of fresh bread for dipping.

The soup should be stick-to-your-ribs thick, but if it’s not, that’s okay. I’ve made this dozens of times and each time it’s different, depending on the amounts of everything used. My husband says that you should be able to stand a spoon in it!