This is a fabulous soup for using up that bag of pearl barley you’ve possibly had lurking in your pantry for a few years. Or, it might have been the only grain you could find at the supermarket recently!
Cheap, filling and nutritious, I personally LOVE barley and particularly love it in this spicy, warming soup.
I like to use Pasilla chilli powder in this soup because it’s fruity and mild so as not to cause offence to the less-enthusiastic chilli lovers in the house. By all means make it as hot as you like and use your favourite chilli powder. A Mexican one will naturally give it a more authentic flavour. Chipotle and Ancho are widely available and both very good.
And please note, when I say “finely chopped”, I mean however finely you like/can be bothered! I don’t mind chunky onions and pieces of garlic in my soup.
Mexican barley soup
Makes at least 6 servings
2 red onions, finely chopped
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
4 stalks silverbeet (or chard, or spring greens, or kale, whatever greens you like/have), finely chopped, leaves and stalks
2 teaspoons Pasilla chilli powder or your preferred chilli powder (see note above)
2 teaspoons ground oregano
1 teaspoon smoked sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon hot chilli flakes
250g pearl barley
1 x 800g tin peeled tomatoes
1 litre of stock - vegetable or “beef style” (I use the widely available Massel powder)
Worcestershire sauce (or vegan equivalent) to taste
1 red capsicum (pepper), finely chopped
1 cup frozen or canned corn kernels
1 zucchini (courgette), finely chopped
Spring onions, green part only, chopped
Pickled jalapeños, to serve
Greek yoghurt or sour cream and grated cheese, to serve
Drizzle some olive oil in a large, heavy-based stockpot and place over medium-high heat. Add the onion, garlic and silverbeet stalks (reserve the softer green leaves for later) and cook, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften. Add the spices and pearl barley, stirring to coat. Add the tomatoes and stock, then bring to the boil.
Once boiling, add some Worcestershire sauce (to your taste, I like it for the umami factor), the red capsicum, corn and zucchini. Stir to combine, add a little more stock if you think it needs it (I usually take this opportunity to clear out the dregs of jars of appropriately flavoured sauces/pastes/chutneys I have lurking in the fridge with water, such as tomato paste, tomato chutney, chilli sauce, etc. It all adds great flavour) and return to the boil.
Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for approximately 20 minutes or until the barley is cooked (it will still have a little bite but it will be soft). Add the chopped silverbeet leaves (or whatever greens you’re using) and the chopped green spring onions. Simmer for another 5 minutes.
Taste, season with salt and pepper, and then ladle into soup bowls, topping with a swirl of yoghurt/sour cream, grated cheese and pickled chillies.