Pearl Barley & Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

• 10 cups vegetable stock
• 6 button mushrooms, cut into quarters
• ¾ cup dried pearl barley
• 1 tsp. thyme dried
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbsp. parsley
• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 celery stalks sliced
• 2 carrots cut into chunks
• 1 large potato cut into chunks
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• ¼ shredded cabbage
• 1 cup diced sweet potato (aka kumara or yams)
• Packet of fresh spinach (100g)
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• Cracked Pepper

Method

1. 1In a large pot heat olive oil and cook onion on low – med heat for 10 mins until translucent. Make sure you don’t burn or colour the onion. Add garlic and stir for 1 min, add barley, stir again for another minute.
2. 2Now add vegetable stock and bring to a simmer.
3. 3When simmering, add potato, sweet potato, celery, carrots, thyme and bay leaves. Season with cracked pepper. Simmer for 30 minutes.
4. 4Now add cabbage and parsley simmer further 5 minutes, and then add spinach.
5. 5Serve with a slice of crusty bread.