Health is a bowl is one of the most delightfully nourishing dishes I have come across in a long time. It quite simply reaches the parts no other dish can reach – packed with barley, lentils, and vegetables it is a dish futher enhanced with the addition of ham on the bone. A simple elegant meal which does not compromise on taste in order to be healthy, nourishing and more importantly, good for your gut! Don´t forget Gut Week 23rd-29th August.
SERVES 8
450g (1lb) thick-cut ham on the bone, chopped
2.4 litres (4 pints) chicken stock
4 tablespoons pearl barley
2 tablespoons Puy lentils
2 medium onions, sliced
46 medium carrots, diced
2 medium parsnips, diced
1/2 medium swede, diced
Ground black pepper
2 sprigs of thyme
2 bay leaves
Sprig of parsley
450g (1lb) potatoes in their skins, diced
1 small cabbage, chopped
1 leek, chopped
4 tablespoons chopped parsley
400g (14oz) tin of red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
4 tablespoons snipped chives
1 Place the ham in a saucepan and cover with stock. Bring to the boil, skim any scum, then add the pearl barley and lentils.
2 Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Add the onions, carrots, parsnips, swede, pepper, thyme, bay leaves and parsley. Bring to the boil, reduce the heat and simmer gently for a further 15 minutes.
3 Add the potatoes and cabbage and return to the boil. Simmer until they are just tender (about 15 minutes).
4 Add the chopped leek and parsley and cook for a further
5 minutes or until the leek is just tender.
5 Add the beans and warm through. Ladle into soup bowls and serve sprinkled with chives.
Per portion: 264 kcal, 3g fat, 0.8g sat fat, 0.97g sodium