Hi All!
I’m assuming that what I’m about to say won’t win me any popularity contests, but I am NOT a fan of Hodge Podge. I love all of the individual components- all of those beautiful and tender new vegetables- but when put together, I find it to be a very off putting” hot milk soup”. Having grown up in the west, it isn’t a dish I’d ever encountered until moving to the Maritimes in 2012. The funny thing is, the recipe for Hodge Podge that I’m going to share doesn’t actually contain milk, but does add a few ingredients that surprised me. It comes from an early 80’s book of Nova Scotia recipes, compiled by Janet Ondaatje, and the recipe contributor for this dish is listed as Helen Dennis. Whether this version can be considered traditional or not, it is Hodge Podge season in Nova Scotia, and in fact, the recipe starts off by saying “This soup is only made when the vegetables are at their prime.”
I will be copying it exactly as printed.
Hotch-Potch or Harvest Broth
2-3 pounds neck of lamb or a beef marrow bone
1 1/2 pints fresh green peas
1/2 pint broad beans
1 cauliflower
1 lettuce
6 young turnips
6 young carrots
6 spring onions
6 sprigs parsley
2 1/2 quarts water
Put the neck of lamb or bone into a pot with cold water and a little salt. Bring to a boil, and skim carefully. Shell peas, shell and skin beans,dice carrots and turnips,peel and chop onions. Retain 1/2 pint of peas; put the rest of prepared vegetables into boiling liquid.Draw to the side and simmer very gently for 3 or 4 hours. It can hardly be cooked too long or too slowly. Half an hour before serving, add the cauliflower in florets, the lettuce, and the rest of the peas. Just before serving, add parsley, finely chopped. The soup should be as thick as porridge and is a meal in itself. Serves 6