Barley Minestrone With Pesto

Description: A nice, hearty soup with barley, veggies and some basil/garlic pesto. You can vary the vegetables as you wish. This soup would be delicious with some crusty bread and a salad. Prep time does not include soaking time for barley.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup pearl barley (soaded for 4 hours and drained)
• 1 1/2 cups green cabbage, roughly chopped
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 stalk celery, diced
• 1 zucchini, diced
• 4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 1 baking potato, peeled and diced
• 1/2 cup frozen fava beans (or substitute green peas or baby limas)
• 1 garlic clove, crushed
• 4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken)
• fresh ground black pepper
• 1/2-1 cup fresh basil leaf
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Steps:

1. Place the barley in a pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 25-30 minutes until tender; then drain.
2. In a large pot, combine all vegetables with the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.
3. To make pesto, place the basil and garlic in a blender; add 1/2 cup of the vegetable cooking liquid and blitz to a smooth puree.
4. Add the puree to the soup, stir until combined, then add the cooked barley. Season with black pepper and serve.