Roast tomato, cavolo nero and pearl barley stew

Instructions

1. In a large heavy cast iron pan on high heat, add the olive oil and the tomatoes and allow to blister like crazy. Keep cooking and cooking until they darken on the skin, split and start to break down. Turn the heat down if the oil really starts smoking. This should take approximately 10 minutes.
2. Turn the heat to a medium and add the onion, celery and carrot, cooking for another 5 minutes or until the onion turns translucent. Add the pearl barley and cook for 1 minute. Add garlic and cavolo nero, it might seem like a lot, but these leaves will wilt down to nothing. Add 1 litre of vegetable stock, reserving the remaining half a litre, then add salt and pepper. Turn the heat down to medium-low and slowly cook away for 10 minutes. The idea is to have the leaves break down and then soak up all the flavour. Cook for a further 20 minutes.
3. In the meantime, in a blender or mortar and pestle add the leaves of the basil and parsley, zest and juice of half a lemon, garlic, olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Blitz until it comes together.
4. Finally, with 10 minutes to cook, take the lid off and add the zucchini/squash and rainbow chard, stirring on occasion to make sure everything is cooked. Stir the peas through at the end and turn the heat off; they will cook in the residual heat. Taste the stew and check the seasoning, it may need a little more salt and possibly a small amount of sugar to balance the sweetness.
5. Ladle the soup into bowls then add a generous spoonful of the green sauce on top. Thinly slice a little of the reserved rainbow chard stems and use as garnish. Serve with crusty bread.