Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon olive oil ( butter or lard works too)
- 1 onion, roughly chopped
- 2-3 carrots, diced
- 1 leek, washed, and sliced
- 1 medium or half a large rutabaga, peeled and diced
- 6 cups vegetable or chicken stock*
- 2 teaspoons dried sage
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 cup pearl barley**
- 1/2 cup dried red split lentils
- 1-2 cups sliced kale (or green cabbage)
- 1 parsnip, peeled and diced (optional) ***
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
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Heat the oil in a large saucepan on medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, and sliced leeks and season with salt and pepper. Cook for 6-8 minutes until everything starts to get soft and has some color.
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Next, add dried sage, and bay leaves stock and rutabaga and parsnips. Bring to a gentle simmer then stir in the barley and red ( or whatever color) lentils. Reduce the heat, cover with a lid, and simmer gently for 40-50 mins or until the barley is tender.
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Add in the kale and stir well (add more stock as needed to make sure everything is covered). Simmer for another 5-10 minutes until kale has softened.
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Serve with parsley and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes:
* Traditional Scotch Broth often calls for lamb broth as well as shredded lamb.
** Some scotch broth has just barley, some mixes different lentil types, split peas etc. with barley (what is called soup mix in the UK)- choose your own adventure/ whatever you have in your pantry. Depending on what you add- it could take a full hour for everything to be tender so continue to check as you cook.
***You can also add 1-2 medium potatoes