Scotland
- Recipes - Soups
Love Apple
Soup with Claret
Love apple is an early Scottish name for tomatoes. This is a hearty
soup ideal for winter. Serves 8.
30g
butter
125g or one cup chopped onion
60g or ½ cup grated carrots
1 medium stick of thinly sliced celery
1 kilo of canned tomatoes
2 large tablespoons tomato purée
60g chopped streaky bacon
150ml or ½ cup claret
4 tablespoons claret
1 litre of cold water
1 level tablespoon sugar
2 level tablespoons cornflour
2 or 3 level teaspoons salt
Single cream for garnish
Handful of finely chopped parsley or thyme
Heat
the butter in a large pot, add the vegetables and bacon and fry
for 10 minutes over a medium heat, stirring occasionally, until
they have turned pale gold.
Stir
in the tomatoes, claret and water, tomato purée, sugar and
salt. Bring to the boil, stir continuously and then cover and simmer
for about an hour, stirring occasionally.
Liquidise
or seive finely. Reheat, uncovered, stirring frequently.
Mix
the cornflower with 4 tablespoons of extra claret. Pour a little
hot soup into the claret mix, stirring vigourously making sure that
the mixture is smooth. Add to the soup. Heat and stir until thick
and simmer for three minutes.
Ladle
into warm plates and top with a cream swirl. Sprinkle some finely
chopped parsley or thyme and serve with crusty bread.
Cock-a-Leekie
Soup
A
traditional scottish soup of chicken and leeks with the special
addition of whisky. This famous Scottish soup is so substantial,
it could be served as a main course. Serves 8.
1
large boiling chicken (giblets removed)
3 slices of streaky bacon
250g shin of beef
4 large leeks
1 large onion
5 fluid ounces Scotch whisky
2.5 litres of water
1 level tablespoon dried tarragon
Salt and pepper
8 pre-soaked prunes
Mix
the whisky, tarragon and sugar in the water. Chop up the bacon and
place the chicken, bacon and beef in a large bowl and pour over
2" face="Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif">Place
the mixture in a large soup pot. Chop 3 of the leeks (reserve one)
and the onion and add to the pot. Salt and pepper to taste. Bring
to the boil, cover and simmer for two hours, removing any surface
scum as required.
Remove
the chicken from the pot, remove skin and bones. Chop the meat into
small pieces and return to the pot. Cut up the shin of beef, if
required. Add the prunes and the last leek finely chopped and simmer
for 10 to 15 minutes.
Cauliflower
and Cheddar Cheese Soup
This
soup is a scottish favourite and great for vegetarians. Serves 4.
1
medium onion
1 clove garlic
40g butter
1 large cauliflower
1 tablespoon grain mustard
900 ml boiling water
50 ml double cream
50 g grated cheddar cheese (ideally Scottish)
Fresh flat leaf parsley for garnish
Heat
the butter in a large pan. Add the onion and the garlic and leave
on a medium heat for 2 - 3 minutes, until they are soft and clear.
Whilst the onion and garlic are softening, chop the cauliflower
as fine as possible. Add the cauliflower into the onion mix then
stir in the boiling water. Bring back to the boil. Reduce the heat
and simmer for 45 minutes.
Stir
the soup well and add the grain mustard and the grated cheese. Adjust
seasoning to taste. Blend the soup with the cream in a liquidiser.
Garnish with a sprinkle of chopped parsley and serve immediately.
Scotch Broth
Mutton
was a traditional ingredient in Scottish meals and when Scotch Broth
soup was being made, the mutton would often be used as the main
course. Serves 6.
0.5kg
mutton or neck of one-year-old lamb
1.8l water
100g pearl barley and 100g dried peas soaked overnight
1 large carrot
1 large onion
1 small leek
1 small diced turnip
1 level tablespoon of chopped parsley
Trim
any excess fat from the mutton and put in a large pan with the water,
pearl barley, peas and seasoning. Bring to the boil and simmer for
an hour.
Chop
the carrot, onion, leek and turnip, add to the pot and return to
the boil. Simmer
for another 30 minutes or until the vegetables are cooked but still
slightly firm. Remove the mutton from the pot and trim off the meat
(into small pieces if they are to be served with the soup) and return
it to the pot, discarding the bone. Skim off any fat season to taste
and garnish with parsley.
