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Any decent winter vegetable soup recipe should produce a thick soup and this is why pearl barley is used (see 'notes for cook' below the ingredients if you are not sure about pearl barley).

It gives the soup a bite to the flavour and a great, nearly creamy texture. This is an all time great UK soup! Click any of the step by step pictures below to enlarge it.

KEY POINTS

NOTE! Picture shows 4 parsnips but the recipe is correct, only use 1 parsnip. We got carried away and used the other 3 parsnips for a different recipe.

COOKING EQUIPMENT
1 Medium-sized pan
1 Large-sized pan
Scales
Knife

Notes for the Cook on Winter Vegetable Soup recipe:
Pearl Barley is a 'pulse' well known to cooks but if you are an amateur, I can assure you your local shops will stock it. It's normally near the dried vegetables (such as lentils). It is also cheap and keeps for ages and ages!

If you keep to the cooking times below you will end up with a soup where the vegetables still have a bit of their 'crunch' left, just the way we like it. Cooking for longer will soften the vegetables more.

No salt has been included in the recipe because the stock cubes / tinned stock will contain enough salt on their own. Taste the soup five minutes before serving and add any more salt at that point if you want.

How To Make Homemade Winter Vegetable Soup

  

First, make the chicken (or vegetable) stock either using stock cubes (follow packet instructions for how many cubes to make 2.5 pints) or canned chicken / vegetable stock. Use a medium sized-pan. Add the pearl barley and simmer the mixture whilst continuing on with the steps below. Stir occasionally.

 

Chop up the carrots, leek, parsnip and celery into small cubes. Click on the picture to the right to give you a better idea of the best size to chop the vegetables.

 

Add wine to another (large) pan and then add the leeks.  Simmer this mixture for about five minutes with the pan covered. Stir a couple of times to prevent the leeks sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add the remaining chopped vegetables to the large pan. Simmer for another 5 minutes stirring a couple of times.

 

Pour the stock / pearl barley from the medium pan into the cooking vegetables in the large pan. Add the tomato puree and bay leaves to complete the soup.  Bring it to the boil then simmer for about 25 minutes stirring occasionally.

 

Just before serving the soup, toast some bread.  Immediately before serving season the soup with the ground black pepper and chopped parsley. Serve the soup into four large bowls. Sit back and enjoy!