You might be thinking that barley is a healthy addition to winter soups like mushroom and barley or beef and barley. But barley is also good in lighter soups like this one with chicken, asparagus and peas.
Cooking time: 1 hour 25 minutes
Servings: 4
Ingredients:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 well chopped onion
- 1/2 well chopped celery
- 2 garlic cloves, divided
- 6 cups lightly salted chicken broth
- 1 large (350-400g) chicken breast with bones, but without skin
- 1/3 cup pearl barley
- 400 grams of tomatoes, diced
- 1 cup asparagus, peeled and cut diagonally (about 2.5 cm thick)
- 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
- 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt
- Freshly ground pepper to taste
- 1/2 cup fresh, torn basil leaves
- 1 strip of orange zest
Preparation:
1. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Place onion and celery in there, cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, 2-4 minutes. Rub or chop the garlic finely. Add to saucepan, cook, stirring occasionally, until aroma appears, about 1 minute. Add broth, chicken and pearl barley. Bring to a boil, then cover the pot and cook over low heat until the chicken is tender, about 20 minutes. Then use a slotted spoon to transfer the chicken to a plate. Bring the broth to a boil again to soften the pearl barley, 20 to 30 minutes.
2. In the meantime, you can do chicken. Tear or cut it into small pieces, remove the bones.
3. When the barley is done, add the chicken, tomatoes and juice, asparagus, peas, salt and ground pepper. Bring to a boil again. Cover and cook over low heat until the asparagus is tender, about 5 minutes.
4. Chop the remaining clove of garlic, basil, orange peel, mix everything.
Divide the soup into bowls and sprinkle each serving with a generous pinch of basil mixture.
Tips and Notes:
Do step 3, cover the soup with a lid and refrigerate. Preheat and top 4 point right before serving.
Nutritional value:
Per serving: 265 calories 6 grams of fat; 39 mg cholesterol, 28 g. carbohydrates; 24 gr. protein; 7 gr. fiber; 745 mg. sodium; 405 mg potassium
Vitamin C (40% DV), Vitamin A (30% DV), Iron (15 DV)