Scots Broth

 

Traditional Scots Broth is made with mutton, or at least a mutton bone.  However, it is quintessential peasant food, making use of cheap and readily available ingredients.  I rather suspect that there were many crofts and cottages that rarely saw meat and that my version isn't too far from the original.  This is a great meal for those on a small income.

 

The soup made from dried and winter vegetables.  Leeks are often used, as are 'neeps', better known as swede (or rutabaga in USA).  Kale or cabbage can be added and often are, but they tend to make the soup smell a bit sulphorous by day two, so if you feel that you might be eating this soup for a while, I would suggest chopping and wilting some and stirring it into the bowl as you serve, on the first day.  Cabbage is worse for this, so you might be happy just adding the kale towards the end, so that it still has some texture.  The rest of the vegetables should be thoroughly softened.

 

Although it's called a broth, this is actually a pretty substantial soup and the starches will thicken it up overnight.  You will undoubtedly need to water it down the next day.  I use white pepper in this recipe.  This is the pepper that was generally used in Britain until the late 70s when black peppercorns and grinders became popular.  It is quite different from ground black pepper, with more pungency and less savour.  I think it seems the right one to use, but use black if you prefer or if that's all you have.  Don't go overboard with herbs - there wouldn't be many available in a cottage garden in the colder months in Scotland.  But I suspect dried thyme would be readily available.

 

If your seawater is clean, use 1/3 to 2/3 fresh water.  Don't add any more salt until you've cooked the soup and tasted it.

 

Serves 2, very generously

 

Ingredients

 

1 tbsp of oil

I large onion, chopped

salt 

I large or 2 medium carrots, diced

1 large or 2 medium parsnips, diced

1 medium potato, diced

1/2 tsp celery seed OR 1 stick celery diced

1 tsp stock powder

1/4 cup dried peas (eg blue peas)

2 tbsp yellow split peas

2 tbsp split lentils

1/2 cup barley

1/2 tsp dried thyme

1/2 tsp white pepper

about 3 cups water

fresh parsley

 

Method:

• Soak the whole peas in the usual manner in your pressure cooker.
• When you're ready to make the soup, add the oil.  Then add the onion and cook for a few minutes with the peas, together with 1/2 tsp salt and mix well.
• Add the carrots, parsnips, potato and celery seed.  Sprinkle over another 1/2 tsp of salt and stir everything together.  Cover with a cup of water.
• Mix in the stock powder and then add the split peas, lentils and barley. Stir well.
• Now add another 2 cups water, if your pressure cooker can take it.  The split peas and lentils are inclined to foam up and block the vent, although the oil should prevent this, so don't overfill the pan.
• Spoon in the thyme and the pepper, cover the pan and bring up to pressure. 
• Cook for 7 minutes and let the pressure come down gradually.
• Once you can remove the lid, taste the soup and add more salt, pepper and thyme if you think it needs it.  Take out some grains of barley and a couple of peas to check that they are cooked through.  If not, cover and give the soup another couple of minutes under pressure, letting the pressure down gradually.
• If the soup seems too thick, thin it with more hot water and taste again.  It should be generously seasoned with salt and pepper
• If you have such a thing on board, chop some fresh parsley and add it to the soup.  Stir it all again and let it stand for a few minutes.

Serve hot, with fresh bread - or on its own.  This is definitely a meal in a bowl.

 

Note:

• Ensure that your root vegetables are all cut to about the same size so that they will cook evenly. 

Variations:

• Vegan ghee is a good alternative to oil, especially if you only have olive oil. 
• Add some shredded cabbage or kale. 
• Use a small turnip or swede instead of parsnip.  Alternatively, you can use less carrot and parsnip and add turnip and/or swede.  Or double the recipe and use them all (but you will need a large pressure cooker).
• You can add replace the onion with a leek or use both, but beware of overloading the pan!
• Use a different stock powder, or leave it out altogether. There will still be plenty of flavour. 
• Chana dal can be used in place of yellow split peas, which is what I do, because I always have them on board. 
• Use black pepper if you don't have white. 

  

You will find many more recipes for Soup here

 

Carrot Pulao

A lot of dals and curries are made without any additional vegetables apart from garlic, onions and chilli.    While the myriad vegetable side dishes that exist in Indian cooking, are both delicious and fun to make, if I want to have rice, I often don’t want to have another pan to wash up, or have to make smaller portions of each dish, so that I don’t end up with too much food.    I usually make enough for two meals, and eat the leftovers for breakfast (don’t knock it until you’ve tried it!), but I don’t like having the same dinner two nights on the run.    The solution to this issue is to make a pulao that also contains vegetables.

Carrots are an epic voyaging vegetable, particularly if you can buy them from a market or greengrocer, unscrubbed and unrefrigerated.    While no doubt many voyagers would make a carrot and cabbage salad to go with curry, I confess to preferring both carrots and cabbage cooked rather than raw.    Grated carrots and shredded carrots do, however, use less of your precious provisions if you are trying to eke them out over a long passage.

 I came to make this, one night in summer, thinking that I wasn't particularly hungry (I often lose my usually-healthy appetite in very hot weather).  Just as I had opened the recipe, I suddenly realised that I was hungry and decided to add some lentils to the mix.  I put 1/2 cup of lentils into the pan; 10 minutes later I added the rice and 10 minutes after that, the chopped carrot.  Then followed the recipe as shown below.  I have to say it was delicious and satisfying - if not particularly authentic!!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1/2 cup brown basmati rice

1 large or 2 small carrots, grated or diced

4 tsp ghee, coconut or vegetable oil

1 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp cumin seeds

Indian bay leaf (or some diced, salted lime)

20 cashew nuts (or equivalent if yours are broken)

1 small onion, finely chopped/

4 green chillis, slit lengthwise or diced*

1/2 tsp turmeric

salt to taste

Instructions:

• Cook the basmati rice in a cup of salted water. If you are using diced carrots, add these after about ten minutes.
• Add a tsp of ghee or oil to a frying pan and heat it over a high flame.
• Add the mustard seeds, cumin, bay leaf (or lime) and heat until they sizzle and pop.
• Now, add the cashews and fry them for a few minutes.
• Once the cashews turn golden brown, add the chopped onion and green chillis. Reduce the heat and fry until the onion turns translucent.
• If you are using grated carrot, add this and fry for a minute until it shrinks and changes in colour.
• When the carrot is cooked, add turmeric and salt to taste. Mix thoroughly.
• Now add the cooked rice (and cooked, diced carrot).
• Mix again gently, and cook for another minute.

Serve this carrot pilau with dal or curry. You can also serve it for a light meal with yoghurt  or raita, if you like.  Pappadoms also go well.

Note:

• * use fewer chillies if you think four seems a bit excessive.

Carrot chutney

Blender Alert

This is another Indian chutney, that most of us would not recognise as such, and while it may sound unpromising, it’s very good. Like the peanut chutney, it also makes a very useful spread or dip, particularly with lentil flatbreads. The tempering adds a bit more spice and an interesting appearance. If you’re serving it with bread, or crackers, along with other ‛charcuterie’, you might prefer it without. It will still be both an unusual and pleasant addition.

Makes a good cupful

1 tbsp (coconut) oil (divided) 

2 tsp chana dal OR roasted peanuts

1 tsp urad dal OR sesame seeds

2 dried red chillies (adjust to taste)

1/2 garlic paste

1/2 tsp ginger paste

1 green chilli (adjust to taste)

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1 cup carrots (chopped, 200 grams)

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp turmeric

1 to 2 tsp lemon juice OR tamarind paste

Optional Tempering

1 tsp (coconut) oil

1/4 tsp mustard seeds

1/2 tsp cumin seeds

1/4 tsp chilli flakes

1/4 tsp garlic paste

1 pinch hing (asafoetida)

Method

• Pour 1 teaspoon oil to a hot pan. Add chana dal, urad dal and red chillies to the hot oil and fry until the dal turns light golden.
• Add garlic, ginger and green chillies. Fry until the dal turns deep golden to light brown. Add cumin seeds, stir and remove all of the fried ingredients to a plate.
• To the same pan, pour 2 teaspoons oil. Add carrots, salt and turmeric. Stir fry on a medium high heat for 3 to 4 minutes until fragrant. Covered and cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until tender. Turn off the heat and cool.
• Add the cooled dal, ginger, garlic, chillies and cumin to a blender and make a slightly coarse powder.
• Add the cooked carrots and tamarind paste/lemon juice. Pour in 1/4 cup water. Blend to a smooth or coarse chutney to suit your liking, scraping the sides as you go.
• Taste and add more salt if you think it needs it.
• Adjust the consistency to suit with more water, if you want to.

To temper (optional)

• Heat oil in a pan. Add the mustard seeds, cumin seeds, chilli flakes and garlic paste. Fry until the cumin seeds have changed colour and the spices smell fragrant. Add hing and turn off.
• Pour the tempering over the carrot chutney.

Notes:

• Leave out the hing for GF.
• Chana dal and urad dal are added for flavour and taste. However, for a change, you can use roasted, skinned peanuts and white sesame seeds. Both work well but the chutney tastes different. Most of us have salted peanuts on board and these can be used, but in that case, add the salt after you’ve blended the chutney so as not to over-salt it.
• You could make this without a blender, if you used peanuts and sesame seeds and either chopped the peanuts, or ground both in a Mouli. The other ingredients would need to be cooked until they were very soft and you might want to use a little cayenne pepper and ground cumin instead of the whole spices. This would end up a little more chunky, but none the worse for that.
• Use young juicy carrots and not old, tough ones. If they need peeling, rather than scrubbing, they won’t go well in this chutney. 
• Ginger and garlic: I love both, but you can skip one of them if you prefer. The chutney is quite delicately flavoured, so follow the recipe and don’t use too much.
• Chillies: Dried chillies add pungent flavours and heat while the fresh green chillies add heat. You can use one or the other, if you prefer. I use green chillies in brine due to the insane expense of fresh ones (in New Zealand).

Carrot and lemon soup

Not a main-course soup, but a very pleasant starter. Carrots and lemons combine together beautifully and the coriander complements both.

Use 1/3 seawater to 2/3 fresh, if the sea is clean, and leave out the salt. 

Serves 4 as a starter

 

Ingredients

 

1 onion

6 carrot

2 tbsp butter OR 1 tbsp olive oil

2 tbsp gram flour

2 tsp ground coriander

3 cups water

1 tsp grated lemon rind

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

chopped parsley

Method:

• Dice the onion and carrots. Fry gently in the butter for about 10 minutes in a covered pan. Stir every minute or so and don’t let them brown.
• When the vegetables are soft, add the coriander and stir it in. Mix the gram flour with 1/4 cup of water and add it to the pan, stirring it carefully so that everything is blended .
• Add 3/4 cup of water and mix again.
• Pour in the rest of the water and the lemon rind, if you have any. Bring to the boil, cover and simmer gently for 20 – 25 minutes until the vegetables are thoroughly softened.
• Mash to a purée with a potato masher, or use a stick blender, and season with salt and pepper.
• Add the lemon juice, reheat and serve sprinkled with chopped parsley, if you have any.

Split lentil and carrot soup

The sweetness of carrots marries well with lentils and lemon, and the soup comes out a very pretty orange colour. This recipe is intended for a starter – main course lentil soup is generally thicker than this.* 

Use 1/3 seawater to 2/3 fresh, if the sea is clean, and leave out the salt.

 

Serves 4 as a starter

Ingredients

 

1 large onion 

1 tbsp olive oil

2 tsp ground coriander seeds

3 medium carrots

3/4 cup split lentils

4 cups water/stock

2 tbsp lemon juice

salt and pepper

Method:

• Dice the onion.
• Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan and add the onion. Cover and cook over a low heat for 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, dice the carrots, scraping them if necessary. Add the coriander and cook for a further minute, then add the carrots and lentils and stir well.
• Pour in the water and bring to the boil, stirring occasionally. Cover, lower the heat and cook for 25 minutes, by which time the lentils should have disintegrated and the carrots should be completely softened. Give them a little longer, if necessary.
• Take off the heat and mash into a purée, using a potato masher or a stick blender. Add the lemon juice and season to taste. Add a little more lemon if you prefer it to be slightly sharper.
• Reheat before serving.

Variations:

• A tbsp of tomato purée makes a pleasant change.
• Add a swirl of cream to each bowl.
• Use lime or orange juice instead of the lemon.
• Garnish with some twists of the appropriate peel.
• Add 1/2 tsp chilli flakes to give the soup a bit of a lift.
  
• * To turn this into a main course soup, double the amount of lentils.
  

Minestrone soup

The name ‘Minestrone’ has become something of a catch-all for a tomato, vegetable and pasta soup. I don’t pretend that the following version is any more authentic than most, but it certainly is attractive and full of flavour. I usually use black-eyed peas, because they enrich the colour of the soup, but it’s equally good made with whole lentils or chick pea(s).

Use 1/3 seawater to 2/3 fresh, if the sea is clean, and leave out the salt.

 

Serves 4 to 6 as a starter, 2 for a main course

 

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
2 onions
2 garlic cloves
1 carrot
1 stick celery OR 1 tsp celery seed
4 cups water
1/4 cup black-eyed peas
1 cup chopped cabbage
a piece of Pamesan cheese rind

14 oz/400 g tin of chopped tomatoes

2 tsp Annie's Mixed Herbs

about 20 lengths of spaghetti

salt and pepper

 Parmesan cheese

Method:

• Heat the olive oil in the pressure cooker.
• Chop the onions and garlic and cook over a fairly high heat until they’re starting to brown. 
• While this is happening, dice the carrot and the celery (seed). Add to the other vegetables. 
• Pour in the water, add the black-eyed peas and bring to the boil. Pressure cook for 10 minutes. Reduce pressure gradually. 
• When you can safely remove the lid, add the chopped cabbage to the pan. Return it to the flame. If you’re using the Parmesan cheese rind, cut this into small dice and add. 
• Empty the tomatoes into the pan and mix them in.
•  Now add the herbs and stir thoroughly. 
• When the soup is boiling once more, lower the heat to a simmer, break the spaghetti into 25 mm (1 in) lengths and add this. Stir to separate the pieces of pasta.
• Add salt and pepper. Minestrone responds well to ½ tsp of cracked black pepper. Taste after a couple of minutes to see if it needs more salt.
• Cook until the spaghetti has softened – you can bring it back up to pressure for 3 minutes if you wish.
• Serve with chunks of bread and, if you have it, plenty of Parmesan cheese.

Variations:

• Use cannellini beans instead of the black-eyed beans. These will need soaking first. Or you could use a can.
• Replace the cabbage with kale
• Add 2 tbsps of freeze-dried peas
• Add chopped pepper to taste
• Replace the celery with 1 tsp celery seed
• Use chopped tomatoes in purée for a thicker soup.
• Add 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
  

Note:

• Vegans can use home-made vegan "Parmesan" cheese!

Cream of vegetable soup

I created this soup in Greenland, where I used dried vegetables rather than the fresh shown in the following recipe. It was a lovely soup with dried; it’s wonderful with fresh. Should you be in my predicament, I give the dried vegetable version below. The resulting soup is thick and rich: ideal for a main course in cold weather.

There are more cans included than I would normally use, but the baked beans are an essential ingredient because their tomato sauce gives a flavour that is otherwise hard to obtain, while sweetcorn adds extra flavour and texture. The recipe makes loads – probably enough for four people, but like most soup, it only improves with keeping, and in the conditions in which you’d be eating it, there’d by no problems about its going off.

I've tagged this as gluten free - but some makes of baked beans might have flour in them.  Check the label.

Use 1/3 seawater to 2/3 fresh, if the sea is clean, and leave out the salt.

Ingredients

1 leek

2 tbsp olive oil

1 onion

1 potato

1 turnip

3 carrots

1/4 cup gram flour

6 cups water OR stock

1 tsp sage

2 tsp parsley

6 juniper berries, crushed

1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns

2 tsp seasoned salt

200 ml/7 oz can sweetcorn

400 g/14 oz can baked beans

170 ml/6 oz can cream

Method:

• Wash the leek carefully, slitting down the sides of it to ensure that all the grit and soil are removed.
• Heat the olive oil in a pressure cooker or large saucepan, over a low heat.
• Dice the leek, onion, potato, turnip and carrots and put them into the pan. Fry gently for five minutes until the vegetables are softened and well coated with oil.
• Stir in the gram flour, mixing well to remove most of the lumps.
• Pour in the water, turn up the heat and bring to the boil.
• Add the sage, parsley, juniper berries and cracked pepper and seasoned salt.
• If you’re using the pressure cooker, bring to pressure and cook for 8 minutes. Otherwise, turn the heat right down and simmer as gently as you can for 45 minutes.
• Add the cans of sweetcorn and baked beans and bring back to boiling point. Simmer for a further 5 minutes or so.
• Gently stir in the cream, mixing thoroughly. Heat until almost boiling and then serve with warm bread.

Variations:

• For the Greenland version, use 1/4 cup of dried onions and 1 cup of mixed dried vegetables instead of the fresh vegetables. Pour 1/2 cup boiling water over the onions and leave them to soak for 30 minutes before adding them to the soup. Pour 2 cups of boiling water over the other vegetables and leave them for the same time.
• Extra zing can be added with a tbsp of Worcestershire Sauce, if you use this.
• If you don’t have any cream, mix ½ cup dried milk with ½ cup lukewarm water and add this to the soup.