During a December Christmas visit to New York City a few years back, it was recommended that we visit Lord and Taylor for some soup.  There are a great many food traditions in NYC and Scotch broth at L&T is one of them.  Eating this stick-to-your-ribs, soul-satisfying soup warmed us through in no time.  You can freeze the Scotch broth away for a future cold day.

Lord and Taylor's Scotch broth

Ingredients:

3 lb Breast of Lamb w/bone, or Stewing lamb
8 c Cold water
1/2 c Pearl barley
2 tb Butter
2 Carrots, peeled and diced
1 White turnip, peeled/diced
2 Ribs celery, diced
1 Onion, diced
Salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. In a large stockpot, cover the lamb with cold water; bring to a boil. Add the barley, partially cover the pot, and simmer until the meat and barley is tender, 1 1/2 hours. Add more water to adjust for evaporation; skim the surface of the soup as necessary.

2. Remove the meat from the broth. Cut the meat away from the bone, discard the bones, and return the meat to the soup. Continue simmering the soup.

3. In a skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the carrots, turnip, celery, and onion and cook, stirring often for 10 minutes.

4. Add the vegetables to the soup. Simmer until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes more. Season with salt and pepper to taste.