the little chill...

Last night was cold & wet, perfect for a simple thrown together vegie soup. I usually only cook this in the winter, but I'm still coming to the harsh realisation that Melbourne does not reserve it's chill for the winter... it shares it with the other seasons too. I've been here for five years now & I'm still in denial when it comes to weather.
So anyway, the soup... These are my ingredients...
1 brown onion finely chopped
2-3 carrots roughly chopped
1 stick of celery roughly chopped
1-2 cloves crushed garlic
a scattering of ground spices : paprika, smoked paprika, oregano, cumin & coriander
3 potatoes roughly chopped
1/4 of a head of cauliflower
1/3 cup pearl barley
enough vegie stock to cover, approx 1.5l
salt & pepper to taste

On a medium-high heat
Cook off the onion in a dash of olive oil until soft
Add garlic, carrot & celery saute for a few minutes
Add herbs & spices, cook for another 5 minutes
Add potato, cauliflower, barley & stock
Bring to the boil & then simmer with lid on for about an hour or until barley is soft
Season & eat!