My favourite soup recipe :-)

[kindjourneys]

I usually use pearl barley because it's easier to get hold of. To work on: being able to make this with organic, local vegetables and herbs, and pot barley rather than pearl. Still, I'm really pleased I've got some of this bubbling away, despite not being too well today. Making more soups and stews, freezing them and having them to heat up rather than microwave meals all the time on bad days = a lifestyle improvement I am very keen to work on gradually. Much better for the environment; not bad for me, too.

My favourite thing about this recipe is that it is *incredibly* easy and requires nothing more than a big thing to cook it in on the hob. :-)

It's also exceedingly tasty though.


Thick vegetable and barley soup

(serves 4. Increase quantities for more people, and/or to store more after making.)

(this is (obviously) vegan. Could be made gluten-free by using a different grain.)


Ingredients

- olive oil (2 tbsp or so)
- 1 large onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 large carrot, trimmed and sliced/cubed
- 1 large leek, trimmed, washed and sliced/diced
- 1 litre vegetable stock
- 3 bay leaves
- 5 tbsps pot (or pearl) barley
- ideally, a large handful of chopped fresh parsley


Instructions

In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the onion, leeks and carrots and heat gently for 5 minutes.

Add the stock and bay leaves

Bring to the boil; add the barley.

Simmer for about an hour.

(The recipe says "remove the bay leaves" at this point. I think that's crazy-talk and leave them in. ;-))

Serve with parsley sprinkled on top. (I sometimes just add a little dried parsley at this point if I have none fresh.)


Recipe taken and adapted from Super Soups by Michael van Straten.