Rachel Roddy’s recipe for pumpkin, lentil and barley soup | A kitchen in Rome
Barley and, in no particular order, emmer and einkorn, wheat, rice, sorghum, peanuts, squash, cassava, lentils, chickpeas, bitter vetch and flax are the so-called founder crops that formed the basis of early agricultural economies in the various centres of domestication all over the planet.My first thought when I read this list of ingredients was: “What a fantastic soup!” And my second was: “What is bitter vetch?” The answer is it’s an ancient legume in the expansive Vicia genus that’s related to broad beans, although physically closer to the lentil and, taste-wise, nearer to a pea, only bitter.So, if you do make the founder crop soup, remember to parboil the bitter vetch several times, changing the water in between, before adding it to the soup.A small, portable oil press is also helpful, if you want to go all the way and turn flax seeds into oil, but remember to warm it gently.The Guardian’s journalism is independent.
We will earn a commission if you buy something through an affiliate link.Learn more.Alternatively, this week’s recipe is a pared-down version – an abridged founder crop soup, if you like – that is also extremely delicious and exactly what I wanted to eat this week, when the wind brought the rain through the double doors and across the kitchen.The Oldways Whole Grains Council has a wonderful guide to the various types of barley available.It notes seven, three of which are useful here.
The first is whole hulled barley, which has been minimally processed to remove only the tough, inedible outer hulls, so benefits from soaking and has a relatively long cooking time.This is what ancient civilisations (the oldest known remains of barley are at Tell Mureybet in Syria) would have used to make breador porridge-like puls, I suppose, and malted for beer.The second is a variety called hulless barley, which is cultivated with a hull so loose that it falls off during harvesting, which cuts down on processing and ensures that all of the bran and germ are retained.Hulless barley still has a relatively long cooking time.(The site doesn’t mention pot barley, which has some of the bran removed.
)The third variety is pearl barley, which has been polished, or “pearled”, to remove some or all of the outer bran layer, along with the hull.Although pearl barley is technically a refined grain, it retains significant goodness, because some of the bran may still be present and the fibre in barley is distributed throughout the kernel.All four types - whole, hulless, pot and pearl - are suitable for this soup, but the advantage of using pearl barley is that it doesn’t need soaking and has a shorter cooking time, generally around 25 minutes.Lentils, too, take about 25 minutes, making them a perfect companion, along with pumpkins or butternut squash.Back to the founding crops and to buying them, rather than turning your kitchen into an oil mill.
Both pumpkin seed oil and flaxseed oil might be a nice way to finish this soup, though olive oil is a good alternative, as is the addition of chopped red chilli or 10 sage leaves, fried until crisp and crumbled on top,Serves 41 onion, peeled and diced1 stick celery, trimmed and diced1 carrot, trimmed, peeled and diced1 bay leafSalt 5 tbsp olive oil400g pumpkin or butternut squash flesh, cut in to 2cm chunks2 sage leaves, plus 10 extra, fried gently in olive oil, to serve 150g pearl barley100g small, brown lentilsFlaxseed oil, or extra olive oil, for servingChopped red chilli, to serve (optional) In a large, heavy-based pan on a low heat, fry the onion, celery, carrot, bay leaf and a pinch of salt in the olive oil, until soft and fragrant,Add the pumpkin/squash, sage and another small pinch of salt, then stir for a minute or two,Add 1,3 litres of water and the lentils, simmer gently for 10 minutes, then stir in the pearl barley.
Simmer for another 25 minutes, until the barley is swollen and soft and the pumpkin has collapsed into soup – if at any point the pan looks dry, add more water.To serve, zigzag some more olive oil or flaxseed oil on top, and maybe some chopped red chilli and/or sage leaves fried until crisp and crumbled on top.
Falafel, dips and mansaf: the Palestinian chef serving dishes ‘made with love’ in Melbourne
It’s an overcast afternoon in September and a crowd is gathering in the Melbourne suburb of Brunswick. The draw card: an unassuming food trailer parked in a loading bay on Hope Street, just off the suburb’s main drag.Brunswick is already famed for its vibrant Middle Eastern eateries and Aheda Amro, the woman behind this latest addition to the scene, knew it would be the perfect location to launch the project she has been working towards for the past five years.Originally from Halhul, a small city in Palestine’s West Bank, since arriving as an asylum seeker in 2018 Amro has been on a mission to bring the flavours of her homeland to Melbourne.The launch of her food van Aheda’s Kitchen is the result of years of determination and hard work; and not just Amro’s but that of the vast network of volunteers she has galvanised to help make her dream a reality
What are the best fillings for a jacket potato? | Kitchen aide
There’s no denying a jacket potato is one of life’s simple pleasures, but sometimes minimalism is not the order of the day. So if, say, tuna mayo is as edgy as your fillings get, it’s time to broaden your horizons: “For a rich, savoury twist, crisp chorizo and cream cheese make the ultimate indulgent filling,” says Poppy O’Toole, spud queen and author of The Actually Delicious Slow Cooker. She starts by frying chopped chorizo in a dry pan until it releases its oil, then stirs half the meat and its fat through some cream cheese. “Butter up your jacket potato, top with a big spoonful of the chorizo cream cheese, and sprinkle the rest of the fried chorizo on top for a satisfying, flavour-packed meal.”The Guardian’s journalism is independent
Georgina Hayden’s recipe for sausage meatballs with beans and caramelised peppers
For such a short ingredients list, this recipe is packed with flavour and something I cook almost weekly for my family (with slight variations). Using sausagemeat instead of mincemeat means instant flavour, and you can use whatever sausages you like (I love the ones with lots of fennel). You could serve this as is, on toast (think nostalgic beans on toast with sausages), or even substitute the beans for mini pasta shells – it’s a malleable and forgiving dish.If you have the time, give the peppers a little longer to cook, to make them extra sweet.Prep 10 min Cook 35 min Serves 42 tbsp olive oil6 sausages (about 400g)4 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped½ tsp sweet smoked paprika 3 peppers (red, orange or yellow), halved, seeds and pith removed, flesh very finely slicedSea salt and black pepper800g (2 x 400g tins) cannellini beans, drained ½ bunch flat-leaf parsley, finely choppedPut the oil in a large frying pan on a medium-low heat
Mulled white wine? Perfect for Christmas guzzling
For the same reason you wouldn’t enjoy a protein shake at your anniversary dinner, you wouldn’t enjoy mulled wine at any time other than Christmas. Mulled wine is a drink that is tied to a specific moment. It’s not enough for the weather to be cold, grey and rainy (god knows we experience that often enough in the UK), it needs to feel festive – preferably in the presence of at least one adult dressed as an elf.In my head, mulled wine is a sort of goth sangria, a concoction that is flavoured, sweetened and spiced into something else entirely. This is also why people who don’t think of themselves as wine drinkers tend to enjoy mulled wine and sangria
Rukmini Iyer’s quick and easy recipe for miso salmon noodles – recipe | Quick and easy
This flavour-packed dinner takes just minutes to put together. The salmon then looks after itself for 15 minutes in the oven with a miso-sesame glaze, and it’s just a quick stir-fry for the garlic, ginger, broccoli and noodles. We have variations of this on repeat at home for a quick dinner; thick straight-to-wok udon are my favourite here, but by all means use with watever you like, cooked according to the packet instructions.Prep 10 min Cook 15 min Serves 23 tbsp sesame oil, plus extra to serve2 tbsp white (or red) miso paste 2 sustainably sourced salmon fillets (I use wild Alaskan) 2 spring onions, finely sliced5cm piece (a thumb) ginger, peeled and finely grated2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely grated½-1 tsp chilli flakes200g Tenderstem broccoli, finely sliced½ tsp rice-wine vinegar2 x packs straight-to-wok thick udon noodles, or other cooked noodle of your choice Sea salt flakes, to tasteHeat the oven to 200C (180C fan)/390F/gas 6, and lay the salmon on a lined baking tray. Mix a tablespoon of sesame oil and a tablespoon of miso paste, then spread this over the salmon
Rachel Roddy’s recipe for pumpkin, lentil and barley soup | A kitchen in Rome
Barley and, in no particular order, emmer and einkorn, wheat, rice, sorghum, peanuts, squash, cassava, lentils, chickpeas, bitter vetch and flax are the so-called founder crops that formed the basis of early agricultural economies in the various centres of domestication all over the planet. My first thought when I read this list of ingredients was: “What a fantastic soup!” And my second was: “What is bitter vetch?” The answer is it’s an ancient legume in the expansive Vicia genus that’s related to broad beans, although physically closer to the lentil and, taste-wise, nearer to a pea, only bitter. So, if you do make the founder crop soup, remember to parboil the bitter vetch several times, changing the water in between, before adding it to the soup. A small, portable oil press is also helpful, if you want to go all the way and turn flax seeds into oil, but remember to warm it gently.The Guardian’s journalism is independent
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