100g white onion – finely chopped
4 garlic cloves – peeled and finely sliced
125g carrots – washed and medium diced
1 fennel – washed, medium diced, then washed again
6 celery sticks – washed and medium diced
6 sprigs of thyme
200g pearl barley – washed
2 courgettes – washed,quartered, seeds removed and medium diced
100g cavolo nero – washed, stalk removed and roughly chopped
2 litres vegetable stock - (see recipe for a homemade stock on the recipe page)
½ bunch parsley leaves – washed and finely sliced
Sea salt
Cracked white pepper
1. Heat a deep based pan with a touch of olive oil then add the onions, garlic, carrots, fennel, celery and thyme. Stir and cook until slightly translucent.
2. Next, add the barley and cook for a further 2-3 mins before adding the stock.
3. Leave to simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally (you may need to add a little extra stock at any stage of this process).
4. Have a taste of the soup, the barley should be just cooked, then add the courgettes and cavolo nero and cook for a further 4 mins before adding the parsley. Stir the soup and season to taste.
5. Spoon a generous ladle into a serving bowl and enjoy!
