Moroccan Stew with Harissa & Root Vegetables

The bitterly cold wind has made me think of the Moroccan Tomato & Pearl Barley Soup I made a few weeks ago.

A quick rummage in the fridge and vegetable cupboard has, however, turned up a small parsnip and half a small swede.  So my soup is going to mutate into a hearty stew for both lunch and dinner.

Serves 4
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium carrot, peeled & diced
1 stick of celery, diced
1 parsnip, peeled & diced
1/2 small swede, peeled & diced
2 tin of chopped tomatoes
1 tin of recently boiled water
1 meat or vegetable stock cube
80g pearl barley (a can of chickpeas, haricot, cannellini beans could be used instead)
1 tsp harissa (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
Chopped parsley to garnish (optional)

Fry the onion and garlic in the olive oil whilst you dice the carrot, celery, parsnip, and swede.  Add these when they are diced. Sweat over a medium low heat with the lid on for a few minutes, then add the tomatoes, water, pearl barley or beans, crumbled stock cube, and harissa.

Bring to the boil and simmer gently for about 1 hour or until the pearl barley is soft.

One medium sized steaming bowl of this is about 150 cals.

NB This stew will get thicker the longer it is kept. If refrigerated overnight you will probably need to add a little more water to thin the soup as you reheat it.

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