Bean and Barley Soup

This is perfect for a cold winter’s evening. 

Ingredients §      5 Tbsp pearl barley (+ boiling water) §      1 large onion, finely chopped §    250 gm carrots (~ 2 large), diced §      The white and light green part of 3 - 4 leeks, cut each in half and then into 1/2 cm chunks §      ½ celeriac root, grated (optional) §      2 Tbsp olive oil §      1.75 litre strong vegetable stock §      3 rounded Tbsp of frozen white beans §      A few sprigs of parsley (optional) §      Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Steps 1.     Put the barley into a small bowl, add boiling water to cover, turn it immediately into a sieve and rinse well in running cold water. 2.     Prepare all the vegetables. If the leeks are large, cut each half again length-ways. 3.     In a big soup saucepan, sauté (fry gently) all the vegetables for about 8 minutes. 4.     Add the vegetable stock to the vegetables. 5.     Add the barley, beans, parsley, salt and pepper. 6.     Bring to the boil. Reduce the heat to its minimum so that the soup is barely bubbling, and cover the pot. 7.     Simmer for 3 hours. The barley will have thickened the soup.