Hearty Winter Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 large onion finely chopped

1 carrot peeled and finely diced

2 sticks celery finely diced

1 swede peeled and finely diced

1 turnip peeled and finely diced

1 parsnip peeled and finely diced

1 Tablespoon rosemary finely chopped

10 sage leaves finely chopped

2 bay leaves

205 g (1 cup) pearled barley soaked overnight and drained

1 1/2 Litres (6 cups) vegetable stock

Salt & pepper

2 Tablespoons finely chopped parsley.

Instructions

Place a large pot on a medium heat.
Add the olive oil and onion.
Saute the onion for about 5 minutes, or until it has softened and started to brown.
Add the remainder of the vegetables, and saute for a further 5 minute or until the vegetables have softened slightly.
Stir in the rosemary, sage, bay leaves and barley.
Add the vegetable stock, season with salt & pepper, and bring to the boil.
Reduce the heat, and allow the soup to simmer for about 40 – 50 minutes, or until the barley is cooked. Check the liquid level occasionally, and top up with hot water or more stock if the soup appears too thick.
Stir through the chopped parsley, and check the seasonings.
Serve with crusty bread.

Recipe Notes

You can use any mix of root vegetables in this soup, although a larger variety makes for a tastier soup.
This soup freezes well, although it will be quite thick once defrosted. Just add a little more stock or water as you reheat it to thin it slightly.
I chop all of the vegetables into 5mm cubes, or not much bigger than a swollen barley grain.