Roasted carrot and barley stew

Great on its own, but even better served with cooked lamb.

Roasted carrots

5 medium	Carrots, (about 550g), lightly peeled (Main)
2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1 serving	Sea salt and cracked black pepper

Barley stew

2 Tbsp	Olive oil
1	Onion, finely sliced
1	Chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
150 g	Pearl barley, or 1 cup (Main)
500 ml	Vegetable stock
4 large handfuls	Spinach leaves
2	Spring onions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 handful	Coriander leaves, roughly chopped
1 squeeze	Lemon juice

Directions

1. Heat the oven to 210C. Line a shallow roasting dish with baking paper.
2. Roast the carrots: cut the carrots into 1cm cubes, placing in a bowl as you go. Drizzle over the oil and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and the ground cumin. Toss well to combine. Tip out onto the prepared tray in a single layer and place in the oven to roast until tender and slightly caramelised, 25-30 minutes.
3. Make the barley stew: heat a medium-sized saucepan over low heat. Add the oil and as it warms, add the onion and chilli. Cook for 5 minutes until the onion begins to soften. Stir in the barley and cook for 1 minute. Add the vegetable stock, bring to a simmer, then cover and cook for 20 minutes until the barley swells. The barley will still have a little bite to it. Taste and season if needed.
4. Meanwhile, in a frying pan wilt the spinach leaves and spring onion until tender.
5. To serve, stir the roasted carrots and spinach mixture through the barley with the coriander leaves. Squeeze over the lemon juice.

See more of Kathy's simple dinner recipes

• Thai-style chicken skewers with sesame rice
• Leek and potato galette