stew of carlin peas, pearl barley and tomatoes with cabbage leaves in a serving bowl
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Carlin Pea, Pearl Barley and Tomato Stew

Carlin Pea, Pearl Barley and Tomato Stew is a modern British recipe for a classic vegetarian stew of carlin peas and pearl barley in a spiced tomato base that's finished with cabbage. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Carlin Pea, Pearl Barley and Tomato Stew.

prep time

20 minutes

cook time

120 minutes

Total Time:

140 minutes

Serves:

4

Rating: 4.5 star rating

Tags : Vegetarian RecipesSpice RecipesHerb RecipesVegetable RecipesCheese RecipesBean RecipesBritish Recipes

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Ingredients:

500g dried carlin peas
250g Pearl Barley
Vegetable Stock
3 tbsp extra-virgin Olive Oil
1 tsp thyme leaves, finely chopped
1 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
4 Garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp Chipotle Chilli Flakes
1 tsp Fennel Seeds
2 Fennel bulbs, thinly sliced
2 small Onions, thinly sliced
2 Carrots, diced
3 tbsp Tomato purée
50g Jarred Sun-Dried Tomatoes
2 x 400g tins chopped tomatoes
Parmesan Rind (optional)
1/2 Cabbage (Sweetheart or Savoy), sliced
grated parmesan, to garnish

Method:

Begin by preparing the carlin peas. Set in a bowl, cover with plenty of water and set aside to soak over night.

The following day, drain the peas, set in a saucepan, cover with plenty of water and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook for about 50 minutes, or until fully tender. Drain the carlin peas and set aside.

Cook the pearl barley in vegetable stock following the packet instructions. Don’t strain the pearl barley once it has cooked as you’ll use the cooking water later in the recipe.

Set a large pan over medium-low heat. Once hot add the olive oil and use to fry the thyme, rosemary, garlic, chilli flakes and fennel seeds for 2 minutes, until fragrant.

Add the sliced fennel and onion, as well as a generous pinch of sea salt and twist of black pepper and cook for 20 minutes until soft and sweet, stirring every so often.

Add the carrots, tomato purée and sun-dried tomatoes, cover and cook for another 2 minutes.

Add the tinned tomatoes along with 2 litres of water, and the parmesan rind (if using). Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer and continue cooking for 30 minutes.

At the end of this time, add half of the carlin peas to a soup blender (or equivalent), alongside a couple of ladles of the tomato stew and blitz until smooth.

Add this back to the pot along with the remaining carlin peas, pearl barley and the liquid that the pearl barley was cooked in.

Add the sliced cabbage, return to a simmer and continue cooking for 10 minutes, until the cabbage is tender.

Adjust the seasoning to taste, adding more salt/freshly-ground black pepper to taste. Also, if the mixture is a little tart you can add a little sugar to balance the tomatoes.

Serve hot, ladled into bowls and accompanied by grated parmesan, a dollop of yoghurt and plenty of crusty bread.