This is one of my favourite soups in the winter. It’s fresh and gingery, a little spicy and very hearty. For a more brothy, soupy soup, you can reduce the amount of barley to 1/2 cup. The introduction of either chipotle pepper (a smoked pepper), or smoked paprika gives it a rich, rounded flavour. Fresh ginger gives a bit of a bite, but also a slight citrusy flavour that cannot be replicated with dried ginger.

Feel free to add in any random veggies, or leftover stuff in the fridge (within reason). This kind of soup can be a great ‘use it up’ meal!

Ingredients:

• 1-2 tsp oil
• 1 medium onion, roughly chopped
• 2 stalks of celery, chopped (plus some of the celery leaves, if you like)
• 6 medium mushrooms, halved or quartered (depending on size and preference)
• 1-2 medium carrots, cut into thick slices
• 1-2 large potatoes, cut into big chunks
• 2tbsp fresh grated ginger (dried will be quite different, so I do not recommend it)
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed or finely chopped
• 1 tsp chipotle pepper, powdered (if you don’t want spicy, you can use smoked paprika instead)
• 1 cup corn kernels (can use fresh, frozen or canned)
• 1 796 ml can of diced tomatoes
• 4+ cups of broth (a lightly flavoured one, like vegetarian or chicken, can substitute with water if needed)
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup of barley, dried
• salt & pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat oil in a pot on medium heat.
2. Once heated, add onion and celery. Cook until golden and soft – can add a tablespoon or so of broth or water to help with this. Be sure to cook off any extra liquid before the next step.
3. Add the mushrooms, and saute until soft and lightly browned.
4. Add the carrots, potatoes, ginger, garlic and chipotle (or paprika). Stir, and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Add the corn. If you’re using frozen or cold corn, cook until the corn warms up a little.
6. Add the diced tomatoes.
7. Add 4 cups of broth (or water). Make sure the liquid covers the vegetables completely. Add more broth or water if necessary.
8. Cover. Let this cook for about 20 minutes on low heat.
9. Add the barley. Cover, and cook for 30 minutes, or until barley is cooked through. Stir occasionally, and check to make sure everything is still covered in broth. Add more broth or water as needed.
10. Add the chopped parsley and chopped peppers. Cook for another 10 minutes.
11. Add salt and pepper, to taste.