Barley Minestrone With Pesto - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup pearl barley (soaded for 4 hours and drained)
1 1/2 cups green cabbage, roughly chopped
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
1 zucchini, diced
4 tomatoes, seeded and diced
1 baking potato, peeled and diced
1/2 cup frozen fava beans (or substitute green peas or baby limas)
1 garlic clove, crushed
4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken)
fresh ground black pepper
For the pesto
1/2 - 1 cup fresh basil leaf
2 garlic cloves, crushed

Preparation

Place the barley in a pan, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil. Cook for 25-30 minutes until tender; then drain.
In a large pot, combine all vegetables with the stock and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are just tender.
To make pesto, place the basil and garlic in a blender; add 1/2 cup of the vegetable cooking liquid and blitz to a smooth puree.
Add the puree to the soup, stir until combined, then add the cooked barley. Season with black pepper and serve.