1 hr 10 mins
Not Too Tricky
serves 8
About the recipe
Tuning in with the seasons means you can make this beautiful soup all year round and it'll always taste different – it never gets old! The mixed veg gives it a minestrone vibe, but I've gone for a nice bit of chorizo to flavour the base and used hearty barley – instead of pasta – for added bite. Make a big batch and freeze in portions to enjoy another day. You'll be pleased you did.
Ingredients
2 onions
2 carrots
2 sticks of celery
olive oil
150g higher-welfare chorizo
2 bay leaves
200g pearl barley
2 x 400g tins of quality peeled plum tomatoes
4 organic vegetable stock cubes, made up with 1.8 litres water
500g kale, or other seasonal greens such as Savoy cabbage, cavolo nero
extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Peel and roughly chop the onions, then scrub, trim and roughly chop the carrots and celery.
- Place a large, deep, lidded pan on a medium heat with ½ tablespoon of olive oil.
- Roughly chop the chorizo, add to the pan and fry for 2 minutes, or until golden. Spoon out a quarter and set aside.
- Add the chopped veg and bay leaves and cook for 10 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
- Stir in the barley, then scrunch in the tomatoes, along with 1 tin's worth of water and the stock. Give everything a good stir, bring to the boil, then turn the heat down to low and simmer for 40 minutes with the lid ajar, stirring occasionally.
- Prep the greens, removing any tough stalks, then finely shred. Add to the pan and simmer for a further 10 minutes, or until tender.
- Leave the soup chunky, or blitz a third with a stick blender to give it a thicker, smoother texture. Taste and season to perfection with sea salt and black pepper.
- Ladle into bowls, scatter over the reserved chorizo and drizzle with good-quality extra virgin olive oil. Delicious with toasted bread for dunking.
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