Kjötsúpa (Icelandic Lamb Soup)

Ingredients

• 1kg lamb shoulder or bone-in lamb soup meat, cut into pieces
• 2 litres cold water
• 1 tsp salt
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 small swede, cubed
• 2 potatoes, cubed
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1/2 small cabbage, chopped
• 100g white rice
• 1 tsp dried thyme (optional)
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• chopped fresh parsley, to serve

Before you cook

• Trim any large pieces of fat from the lamb and cut it into manageable pieces, keeping any bones for extra flavour.
• Peel and chop the carrots, swede, potatoes and onion into small, even chunks.
• Chop the cabbage into bite-sized pieces and set it aside separately from the root vegetables.

Steps

1. Put the lamb into a large pot and cover it with the cold water.
2. Bring the pot slowly to a boil, then skim off any grey foam that collects on the surface.
3. Stir in the salt, reduce the heat, and simmer gently for 45 minutes until the lamb is starting to turn tender.
4. Add the onion, carrots, swede and rice to the pot.
5. Simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are starting to soften.
6. Add the potatoes and cabbage and simmer for a further 15 minutes until everything is tender.
7. Stir in the thyme if using, and season with salt and black pepper to taste.
8. Lift out any large lamb bones, pull off any meat still clinging to them, and stir that meat back into the pot.
9. Ladle the soup into bowls and scatter with chopped parsley before serving.