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CHICKEN, PORCINI & BARLEY SOUP

Hearty, warming and filling sums up this soup brilliantly – it’s fab on a cold night to warm the cockles. It’s very chunky – almost like a stew – with a slight woody vibe from the porcini, although you can reserve a little chicken stock to thin it out just before serving, if you prefer. The barley adds a fantastic texture along with the poached chicken, plus you can make and serve up this gorgeous, hassle-free soup in just one pan.

READY IN 50 MINUTES

SERVES 4

25g porcini

1 tsp butter

1 onion, peeled and diced

1 large carrot, peeled and chopped into small chunks

2 celery sticks, sliced into small chunks

120g pearl barley

400g chicken breasts, cut into small chunks

500ml chicken stock

1 bay leaf

handful of spinach, torn

handful of chopped flat-leaf parsley, plus extra for sprinkling

salt and pepper

1. Start by putting the porcini into a bowl and pouring over 250ml boiling water. Leave to one side for 25 minutes to soften, then remove the porcini, drain on kitchen paper and slice roughly. Strain the porcini soaking liquid through a sieve a couple of times (to remove any grit). Reserve to use later in the soup.

2. When the porcini have about 15 minutes left to soak, melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and season well with salt and pepper. Cook the vegetables, stirring well, until the onions just start to brown at the edges, about 10 minutes.

3. Next tip in the barley and chicken chunks, stirring to coat in the butter, and let them cook for a couple of minutes. Add the chicken stock, bay leaf and the porcini and their liquid, then top with 350ml water. Stir well and bring to a simmer.

4. Put a lid on the saucepan and simmer for 25 minutes until the liquid has reduced down and the barley is nice and puffed up. Add the spinach and parsley for the final 5 minutes of cooking. Remove the bay leaf and taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve in bowls with a fresh sprinkle of parsley – it’s great with some buttered baguette slices.

VIRGIN TIP

During the simmering remove the lid a couple of times and stir the bottom of the pan; sometimes some of the barley can settle there so keep it moving. You can also top up with more water if you like a thinner soup – I’m just a fan of it being chunky.