Here is a true delicacy to be enjoyed on autumn evenings, barley, chickpea, and black cabbage soup. Creamy at the right point, tasty and nutritious, the soup combines cereals and legumes in order to offer a balanced dish from a nutritional point of view.
The extra note is given by black cabbage, a precious source of antioxidants, among which lutein and beta carotene stand out. And if you want to make the soup even more anti-aging and anti-inflammatory, you can replace the normal orange carrots, which appear in the recipe, with purple carrots (Bacchetti et al, J Clin Biochem Nutr, 2015). In short, the soup of health is on the table, enjoy your meal!
Ingredients for 4 people200 grams of pearl barley400 grams of already cooked chickpeas200 grams of black cabbage1 leek1 onion2 sticks of celery2 carrots200 grams of potatoes extra virgin olive oilsaltPepperDice the celery, the carrots, and the peeled potatoes, slice the onion and the leek and cut the black cabbage into strips.
Brown the leek and onion in a large pan with a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil. Add the carrots, celery, and potatoes, and cook for a minute. Pour one and a half liters of water and leave to cook for 30 minutes. With the immersion blender, reduce part of the soup to cream, about two ladles. Add the chickpeas, barley, and black cabbage. Cook for 20 minutes or until the barley is cooked, add a pinch of salt and pepper and serve, seasoning the soup with a drizzle of oil.