Читать книгу Miss Dahl’s Voluptuous Delights - Sophie Dahl - Страница 23

SERVES 4-6

3 tablespoons of olive oil

1 onion, chopped

2 large fresh sage leaves, chopped

1.5 litres/6¹/₂ cups of vegetable stock

180g/6 cups of spinach, washed and chopped

150g/³/₄ a cup of pearl barley

Salt and pepper

50g/¹/₂ a cup of grated Parmesan

My nanny Maureen is a master soup-maker. It was almost worth being ill from time to time as a child, just in order to get a steaming bowl of comfort on the sofa in front of The Wombles. This is my homage to her.

Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, put in the onion and sage leaves and cook on a low heat for about 5 minutes. While that’s cooking, heat the stock in another pan. Stir the spinach into the onion mixture and cook for another few minutes. Pour in the hot stock and cook, covered, on a low heat for 10 minutes. Add the barley and leave it cooking for another half an hour or until the barley is soft. Season to taste. When it is ready, ladle into bowls and sprinkle the Parmesan on top.