Another week of blustery weather can mean only one thing — more soup simmering on my stovetop. This time it’s my take on an old family recipe for Scotch broth. One of Scotland’s most famous offerings, Scotch broth begins by boiling together chunks of mutton or beef and barley. Eventually, diced root vegetables and parsley are added to the pot. A sprinkling of fresh parsley then finishes it off.

Unlike classic Scotch broth, my version replaces the meat with mushrooms, making it less stew-like. In essence, this is a hearty mushroom barley soup.

With its vegetable stock base and abundance of barley, root vegetables and mushrooms this soup could be considered a vegetarian-friendly dish. For a bona fide vegan meal, substitute olive oil for the butter.

MUSHROOM BARLEY SOUP
To get the requisite 2 cups cooked barley, you will need to bring 2 cups water, 1/2 cup pearl barley and a pinch of salt to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce the heat to low and allow the barley to simmer for 40 minutes. By this point the barley will have plumped up and absorbed most of the water. Any remaining liquid can be drained off.
Serves 8

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 leek, whites and 1-inch greens chopped
2 cups cremini mushroom caps, chopped
6 cups vegetable stock
1 turnip, diced
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, minced
5 cups white button mushroom caps, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
2 cups cooked pearl barley
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Handful fresh parsley, roughly chopped, optional

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a stockpot. Add the leek and cremini mushrooms and saute until softened, 3 to 5 minutes.

Place 1 cup vegetable stock, the leeks and cremini mushrooms into the bowl of a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. Set aside.

Place the remaining butter in the stockpot and melt over medium-low. Add the turnip, carrots and celery and saute until softened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add the button mushrooms, dried parsley and remaining stock and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low and allow the soup to simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes.

Add the pureed leeks and cremini mushrooms, barley and salt and pepper, to taste, and stir to combine. Simmer the soup for another 5 to 10 minutes, until the flavors have melded together. Ladle the soup into bowls and sprinkle the tops with chopped parsley if desired. Serve hot with bread or crackers.