Scotch Broth with Kale Recipe (2024)

This was soooogood. BUT, I did change it up in that I browned that lamb, and kept back the potatoes until toward the end, so that they had identity. Also had small turnips which I kept intact. You have to honor your ingredients in a stew.

Made this second time. Fabulous. I think secret is using meat from shoulder which lends itself to slow cooking and great flavor

I start by searing the lamb in the pot. I then add 8 cups of cold water, 8 teaspoons of Osem kosher chicken consomme mix and the barley. While heating to a boil, add other ingredients as you are prepping them. Rather than kale, I like to finish with a few large handfuls of baby spinach stirred in at the last moment to retain their green freshness.

This is a good recipe with two fundamental flaws. First, do not follow the instructions on how long to cook the vegetables. You get mush. Thirty minutes max on the potatoes, maybe 40 on the turnips. Second, double the barley. Finally, skip the parsley. It’s not a common ingredient in Scotland. It adds nothing to this. Beyond that it creates a hearty mid-week, cold night, one-pot meal.

I'm not a lamb fan, but wanted to make something with ground beef and kale so I used this recipe as a starting point. I pressure-cooked the barley separately while browning the beef in the stock pot. When the barley was almost done I added it along with beef broth and everything else to the stock pot and simmered it about 20 minutes. It was excellent!

It is fine with just using very good beef boullion instead of the lamb. I’ve recently made it with barley, kale, and red beans (so it’s basically a LOT different). Having the barley soak in the soup for a day lets the barley absorb more of the broth and be more delightful to eat. I think carrots would be about the best addition.

My family has been making a soup/stew like this for generations. We use leftover leg of lamb or shanks. Onions,celery,turnips,parsnips…you get the idea. Never potato in this. Lots of herbs. It always comes out delicious.

I omitted the lamb completely for a vegetarian option and made the following changes. I used 8 cups low sodium veg broth and 2 cups water to increase flavor. In addition to the barley, i added 1/4 cup each of red lentils and green split peas. I find it gets very thick over time so you can increase volume simply by adding more water or stock and additional vegetables if you like. Delicious

This recipe with more barley and substituting a smoked ham hock or shank would be a recipe handed down on Danish side of my family. The Danes are very fond of pork and a hock or shank simmered to create a broth for the barley makes a very flavorful soup. Being part Scotch doesn’t hurt in making this home run winter soup.

I made this per the instructions, going against my instincts and not browning the meat. It was delicious! The only thing I would change going forward is to chop up the raw meat before cooking. While my lamb did get very tender after two hours it didn’t fall apart which meant needing to cut it up in the soup bowl.

This is a good recipe with two fundamental flaws. First, do not follow the instructions on how long to cook the vegetables. You get mush. Thirty minutes max on the potatoes, maybe 40 on the turnips. Second, double the barley. Finally, skip the parsley. It’s not a common ingredient in Scotland. It adds nothing to this. Beyond that it creates a hearty mid-week, cold night, one-pot meal.

Wonderful way to use up vegetables in the crisper! Agree with Anika that the flavor is bland: I added some rendered smoked bacon, browned the lamb in the bacon fat, and added a half-cup of oven-roasted garlic and plenty of garlic powder.

It is fine with just using very good beef boullion instead of the lamb. I’ve recently made it with barley, kale, and red beans (so it’s basically a LOT different). Having the barley soak in the soup for a day lets the barley absorb more of the broth and be more delightful to eat. I think carrots would be about the best addition.

Wow! I couldn't believe how delicious this is! Changes I made -- 1 lb bone-in lamb (browned in pot)- Added more veggies - 2 large leeks, 3 carrots, 3 small stalks celery, swiss chard stalks, fennel stalks (did not have turnips and potatoes)- generous 1/2 tsp dried thyme- 1/3 cup farro- lots of kale and swiss chardThe lamb gives a delicious background flavor to an otherwise vegetarian meal!

I wasn't able to get lamb this week so used 1 lb of beef stew that was in the freezer. Seemed like plenty of meat. Added a couple more potatoes and cut vegetables in pretty large chunks to stand up to 2 hours of cooking. Just the right amount of barley. Added kale after 90 minutes and cooked for another half hour. This is so good.

I'm not a lamb fan, but wanted to make something with ground beef and kale so I used this recipe as a starting point. I pressure-cooked the barley separately while browning the beef in the stock pot. When the barley was almost done I added it along with beef broth and everything else to the stock pot and simmered it about 20 minutes. It was excellent!

Even with adjustments to make the recipe low FODMAP, it was absolutely delicious!

Just wondering, why the pot can't be covered? Is this some cooking technique?

With fresh lemon juice, very comforting on a cold winter's night. Like others, I briefly seared the lamb for extra flavor.

Made this second time. Fabulous. I think secret is using meat from shoulder which lends itself to slow cooking and great flavor

Delicious. I cooked it in an Instant Pot using high pressure for 20 minutes. I browned the meat first and used only 5 cups water. Natural pressure release took about an hour. Afterward I removed bones and herb bouquet, degreased liquid and then wilted kale. Next time I might double or triple the barley. A squeeze of lemon was a nice touch.