Name: Roasted squash and miso soup with pearl barley and cavolo nero
Ingredients: 1L vegetable stock; 60g pearl barley; ½ tbsp white miso; 100g cavolo nero, stems removed and discarded, leaves cut into 2cm pieces (about 70g); 1 medium butternut squash, halved lengthways and deseeded (about 900g); 4 tbsp olive oil; ½ tbsp Turkish red pepper paste (biber salcasi), or tomato paste; ½ tsp smoked paprika; ⅛ tsp chilli flakes (optional); 40g walnuts, roughly chopped; ½ tsp soy sauce; Lemon wedges, to serve; Fine sea salt

New

Serves 4

Prep 15 min

Cook 45 min

A light yet filling autumn soup, built around a whole roasted squash, scooped straight into the bowl so its flesh melts into a miso-and-barley broth. A chilli-flecked walnut oil, made in the pan, gets spooned over at the end. We used pearl barley, but fregola works just as well - serve with lemon wedges.

Ingredients

1L	vegetable stock
60g	pearl barley
½ tbsp	white miso
100g	cavolo nero, stems removed and discarded, leaves cut into 2cm pieces (about 70g)
1	medium butternut squash, halved lengthways and deseeded (about 900g)
4 tbsp	olive oil
½ tbsp	Turkish red pepper paste (biber salcasi), or tomato paste
½ tsp	smoked paprika
⅛ tsp	chilli flakes (optional)
40g	walnuts, roughly chopped
½ tsp	soy sauce
	Lemon wedges, to serve
	Fine sea salt

Method

Preheat the oven to 200C.
Add the stock to a medium pan on a high heat and bring to the boil. Add the pearl barley, turn the heat down to a simmer and cook, covered, for 40 minutes until tender. Pour a ladle of the stock into a small bowl, whisk through the miso, and add it back to the pan along with the cavolo nero and cook for another 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, drizzle ½ a tablespoon of oil over the cut sides of the squash, sprinkle with ¼ teaspoon of salt and place, cut side down, on a baking tray and roast for 30-35 minutes. The squash should be tender and soft enough to easily push a knife through, but still firm enough to hold its shape.
Add the remaining 3 ½ tablespoons of oil to a small frying pan on a medium heat. Once hot, add the pepper paste, paprika and chilli flakes, if using, and cook for 2 mins. Then add the walnuts and cook for 6-8 minutes more, until the walnuts are toasted and the spices are fragrant. Stir through the soy sauce and ⅛ teaspoon of salt.
Scoop the flesh of the squash out with a spoon into large chunks and divide it between four bowls. Spoon over the broth, followed by a drizzle of the walnut oil and serve, with a squeeze of lemon.