Even if it’s already Spring, in the last few days the evenings in London have been really cold and I have been coming home at night with a desire for something hot and comforting to be prepared quickly. This hearty soup has been my solution to lots of mid-week dinners and I hope you will enjoy its rustic taste and simplicity!
SERVES: 2 people
KITCHEN TO TABLE: 1 hour
DIFFICULTY: 
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INGREDIENTS
- 1 litre and a glass of water
- 1 good quality stock cube (I used the chicken one but you can use the vegetable as well!)
- 2 small carrots
- 2 courgettes
- 70gr Waitrose quick cook barley mix (or a mix of barley, yellow lentils and green peas)
- 40gr red lentils
- 2 small onions
- Salt
- Ground black pepper
- 40gr grated Parmesan cheese
- Extra-virgin olive oil
COOKING UTENSILS
- 1 large pan
- Sharp knife
- Chopping board
- Stick blender
METHOD
- Fill your pan with one litre of water and let it boil
- Roughly cut the carrots, the courgettes and the onions and put them with the stock cube in your boiling water, along with a pinch of salt and some ground black pepper. Let them cook until completely soft (time will depend on how big you cut your vegetables, it took me 30 minutes)
- Once your vegetables are completely softened, remove your pan from the heat and make a soup by mashing the vegetables in the broth by using the stick blender. Taste the obtained vegetable cream and season accordingly with salt and pepper
- Place your pan back on a gentle heat, add the red lentils and let them cook for 10 minutes, then add the barley mix and let it cook for another 15 minutes, or until soft
- Serve boiling hot after dressing with shaved Parmesan cheese and a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil.
Enjoy!
