We asked food writer and chef Zsuzsanna Toth to share her late autumn soup recipe with our community. It’s thick, hearty and made from simple autumn ingredients: pearl barley, cavolo nero, and a topping of walnut and chestnut. It’s the kind of recipe you make once and return to all season.

Ingredients:

Approx 6-8 big portions.

• 1 celery heart 
• 2 carrots 
• 1 large or 2 small white onions 
• 300 g pearl barley 
• 1 bunch cavolo nero 
• 5 cloves garlic 
• 6–8 chestnuts (pre-cooked or freshly roasted) 
• A handful of walnuts, toasted 
• 1 lemon, zest and juice 
• Olive oil or organic sunflower oil 
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper 
• Water or chicken stock (see method) 
• Crème fraîche, to serve (optional) 

Method:

1. Make a rough soffritto

Roughly chop the onions, carrots and celery. Cook in a generous splash of olive oil or sunflower oil over a low heat, slowly, until the onions are translucent and the carrots and celery have softened.

2. Meanwhile, make the cavolo nero sauce 

Bring a large pot of water to the boil and salt generously. Strip the cavolo nero leaves from their stems and peel the garlic cloves. Add both to the boiling water and cook until the kale is softened, around 8 minutes.

Drain and cool in iced or very cold water. 

Once cooled, squeeze out as much liquid as possible (this requires more pressing than you might expect).

Roughly chop the cooked and dried kale and add it to a blender or food processor, along with the garlic, a pinch of salt, pepper and the lemon zest and juice. A Magimix or Nutribullet works fine.

Gradually add olive oil, blending as you go, until you have a smooth green sauce. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. 

3. Make the soup

Add the pearl barley to the soffritto and stir to coat. Add around 900 ml of water to start with, or a 50:50 mixture of water and chicken stock, if you eat meat. Bring to a simmer and cook until the barley is tender but still has a little bite, usually around 30–40 minutes. Add more hot water as needed to achieve your preferred soup consistency.

Roughly chop the chestnuts and add them halfway through cooking.

Just before serving, stir in the cavolo nero sauce and mix well. If keeping the soup for several meals, store the soup and kale sauce separately in covered containers in the fridge to help preserve the sauce's bright green colour. 

4. Serving & Tips

Serve the soup (or as I call most things between September and March, slop) hot, add the toasted walnuts on top of each bowl. If in the mood for extra indulgence a spoon of creme fraiche won’t go amiss. 

The soup will last you for up to 3 days in the fridge. It can be served cold in a salad or reheated with some water or olive oil as a side, as the barley will have soaked up more of the liquid. 

The cavolo nero sauce also works as a simple sauce for a weeknight pasta. Just add some pasta water, toss your favourite shape and grate a generous amount of parmesan or ricotta salata. Feel free to freestyle: Depending on the season you can add chopped leeks, courgettes or other soft vegetables into the soffrito mix.

Enjoy!