Oatmeal soup.

Back in 1991, Jacque Pepin apparently appeared in a television show with the pedestrian name Today’s Gourmet. There is nothing pedestrian, however, about Pepin, who is a creative chef with the ability to teach and the open mind to incorporate the technique of any culture into his cuisine. This britishfoodinamerica recipe is derived, very loosely, from Pepin’s of the same name from the tie in book to the series, also of the same name.

• a generous Tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 or 3 leeks, trimmed, washed and chopped
• 2 cups milk
• 1½ cups chicken stock
• 1 teaspoon salt
• pepper
• about ¼ teaspoon cayenne
• about ¼ teaspoon mace
• some Worcestershire
• 1 cup rolled oats
• salt
• minced parsley to serve

1. Gently sweat the leeks in the butter until they only just begin to soften.
2. Add the milk, stock and seasonings to the leeks and bring everything to a boil.
3. Stir the oatmeal into the pot, punch down the foam, and simmer the soup until the oats have softened and thickened the broth, usually in about 10 to 15 minutes.
4. Serve the soup strewn with the parsley.

Notes:

- Pepin does not identify this soup as Scottish, or even as inspired by Scottish food, but that was not his brief. In his incarnation as Today’s Gourmet , Pepin was introducing people to the food he had been cooking at the time, not its derivation or origin.

-The soup is good on its own or topped with some shredded chicken.

-Leftover soup, or for that matter soup made for the purpose, becomes an excellent alternative to bread sauce for accompanying roast chicken, duck or other birds.