[AD] Using a ready-prepared soup mix with fresh veggies & pearl barley, I’ve added pasta, tomatoes, cabbage, bacon, thyme and red wine for a hearty Scottish Italian inspired soup.

Perfect for a Midweek Family Supper

I am an avid soup maker, it’s in my DNA as I come from a long line of fabulous soup makers….it comes from my earliest years and the keen observation of my maternal grandmother, who was the mistress of making soups and stews; she would sit at an old, scrubbed wooden table in the kitchen, peeling, chopping and slicing vegetables of all shapes and sizes, as well as trimming meagre looking pieces of meat, which eventually under her guidance in the stockpot became meltingly tender and imbued with the flavours of fresh pot herbs and root vegetables.

No soup or stew was ever the same, each batch had its own vintage, and was never repeated again… it all depended on what was in the pantry or the garden, and the time of the year. Winter was mainly root vegetables with plump pulses to thicken the broth; glistening pearl barley added texture and body and was an essential ingredient to fill empty tummies after a long, frosty walk back from school or after a day in the garden splitting logs. If a ham shank had been cooked, then my favourite soup was made, Ham and Pea or Ham and Lentil. Thick and unctuous with the salty taste of ham, it was always eaten with hunks of thick bread and butter, and sometimes had steamed dumplings added.

Today’s recipe for a Quick and Easy Scottish Minestrone Soup has been created as part of a collaboration with Scotty Brand. Using one of their incredibly handy soup mix packets for Scotch Broth, I’ve created a quick, easy and very hearty bowl of soup for the winter months. Each 500g packet comprises a ready peeled and diced combination of carrots, swede, onion and leeks, with a packet of pearl barley. You can of course make a traditional Scotch Broth with the mix, but for an Italian twist, I’ve created a wholesome and hearty recipe which uses the Scotch Broth soup mix with added ingredients such as bacon, tomatoes, cabbage, pasta and Italian cheese. Serve this filling soup with lots of crusty bread and extra grated Italian cheese on the side.

You can buy this Scotty Brand Scotch Broth soup mix (as well as their Lentil & Vegetable soup mix) from Asda, Waitrose, Tesco and Morrisons. And  now for some exciting news…..you may have gathered from my opening paragraphs, soup is very sentimental to me and holds lots of happy memories of my childhood. Scotty Brand obviously understand that sentimental link, and have a wonderful competition you can all enter, their Scottish Soup Competition has the theme of sentimental soup, and you can enter here: Enter Scotty Brand Scottish Soup Competition. 

WIN A TRIP TO BALLINTAGGART FARM AND COOK SCHOOL

With winter setting in & the cold weather rearing its frosty head, nothing beats a warming bowl of soup. When it comes to your own recipes, everyone has one that’s been passed down through the generations that features on the dinner table time and time again.

Perhaps it’s the broth your gran used to make when you visited every Sunday, the soup your mum would whip up when you felt under the weather that would cure all illnesses?

Or maybe it’s the weird and wonderful creations you concocted with your mates during your student days with whatever was left in the cupboard.

We all have a recipe that stirs up fond memories, and if yours is a “souper” staple, it could win you a cookery school prize that’ll make you the envy of your friends and family.

All you have to do to enter, is simply upload an image of your favourite soup dish along with a short sentimental description of why it’s important to you, to Facebook, Instagram or Twitter with the hashtag #sentimentalsoup and tag @Scotty__Brand.

PRIZE DETAILS

Open from 18th November until Monday 6th January 2020 and the winner will be announced later in January to coincide with National Soup Month.

Prize
2 x Masterclass places in The Cook School by Ballintaggart Farm at Ballintaggart Farm Perthshire for a seasonal class. Including an overnight stay for 2, with breakfast at The Grandtully Hotel by Ballintaggart.

Runner Up Prize
2 x Morphy Richards Stainless Steel Soup Maker

Terms & Conditions apply: Open to UK residents aged 18 years and over. No purchase necessary, internet access is required. The competition is open from 09:00 on 18^th November 2019 until 23.59 BST on the 6^th January inclusive. From all entries received and verified by Promoter, a shortlist of ten entrants will be selected and then judged by a panel of two Scotty Brand employees and an executive chef from Ballintaggart. The winner will be notified by e-mail no later than Monday 27th January 2020. Full Terms & Conditions available here.

My hearty and very tasty Quick and Easy Scottish Minestrone soup recipe is shared below on a printable recipe card….it has bacon in it, but to make it Vegetarian and also VEGAN, just simply omit the bacon and add more vegetables. You can of course omit the wine too, but that does add a lovely depth to the soup and all the alcohol is cooked away, sadly for a wine lover like me! Please do let me know if you make this AND if you entered the competition too, Karen 

*Paid collaborative work with Scotty Brand*

Scottish Minestrone Soup

Print recipe

• Print with main photo
• Print text only

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 6 rashers smoked bacon (snipped into small pieces)
• 2 cloves garlic (peeled and finely minced)
• 2 tablespoons tomato puree
• 1 packet Scotty Brand Scotch Broth soup mix (500g)
• 400g tin chopped tomatoes
• 600ml vegetable stock (made with stock cube)
• 1 small glass red wine (75ml)
• 75g macaroni pasta
• 1/4 sweetheart cabbage (finely shredded)
• fresh thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• grated Italian cheese to serve (I used Grana Padano)

Directions

Step 1	Heat the oil in a large saucepan, cast iron is best, and add the chopped bacon, saute over a medium heat until the bacon is crisp and cooked.
Step 2	Add the garlic and saute for a further minute, stirring all the time. Add the soup mix vegetables*, putting the packet of pearl barley to one side. Saute, stirring all the time for 2 to 3 minutes. The add the tomato puree and stir to mix into the vegetable and bacon mixture. *Use 500g mixed chopped carrots, swede, onions and leeks if not using a soup mix.
Step 3	Add the tin of chopped tomatoes, vegetable stock and the wine, stir well before adding the macaroni pasta, packet of pearl barley*, chopped cabbage and the fresh thyme. Season to taste with salt and pepper and place a lid on the saucepan and simmer over a low heat for 15 to 20 minutes or until the pasta and vegetables are soft and are cooked. *Use 1 tablespoon of pearl barley if not using a soup mix.
Step 4	Adjust seasoning to taste and serve straight away with grated Italian cheese sprinkled over the top of the soup and crusty bread.
Step 5	NB: Make it vegetarian and Vegan by omitting the bacon and adding mushrooms and/or chopped peppers.