Scotch Broth

Tuesday October 16

I (Barbara) was stuck at home waiting for a plumber and a handyperson, neither of whom showed up. This is typical of life as a homeowner. But it was a lousy rainy day outside anyway, so I consoled myself by finishing the final Harry Potter and making Scotch Broth out of the leftover lamb bone from Saturday's leg o'.

I based my procedure on the recipe from Julia Child's The Way to Cook. But Julia always needs editing: she dirties too many dishes and throws away too much tasty stuff. Here's my procedure:

First, brown the bone(s), any meaty scraps of lamb that are left, and a rough-chopped carrot and onion in a little oil in a dutch oven, all in the regular oven at around 425 degrees. Turn everything occasionally, so it doesn't burn. It should take around 30 minutes.

Take the dutch oven out and put it on the top of the stove. Add about a cup of water and scrape the bottom to deglaze, on low heat. Chop (more presentably) a stick of celery, another onion, a teaspoon of fresh rosemary, and crunch up a giant clove of garlic. Add them, plus a little salt and pepper, to the soup, and top it up with just enough water to cover the bone(s).

Now let it simmer with the cover just ajar at the very lowest heat for three hours or more. If you do this right, it won't throw off any scum, and you won't have to do Julia's constant straining, skimming, and washing of pans.

About an hour before you want to eat, remove the bone and anything else that looks ugly. Dice up another carrot and a couple-three turnips. Put those and a half cup of pearl barley into the soup. (Julia says all this stuff takes 15 minutes to get tender - I say, not in this world it doesn't.) Let it simmer for the hour, adjusting the cover to let off liquid, or adding some if it needs it. The degree of soupiness/stewitude is up to you.

About ten minutes before mealtime, chop up any leftover lamb you have and throw that in too, with salt and pepper to taste.

Eat it with relish…or with grandpa. Of course, I refer to one of the funniest websites on the planet, "Julia Child Speaks her Mind,"

where she kind of explains my Philosophy of Soup-Simmering.