Oh dear… bad enough to have failed the summer bikini test, the autumn weigh-in was an even bigger shocker… 

Zuppa di farro brucia calorie / Pearl barley soup with a kick

Traumatised, Trota decided it was time to put the Rowes on a diet. This recipe is inspired by PerdiPeso (grazie Lo’!) and is described as calorie-burning: only 257kcal per portion. So bring it on!

The original recipe calls for farro (spelt) but Trota replaced that with pearl barley, a firm favourite chez Rowe. On that basis, you will need: 50g pearl barley, a courgette, a carrot, a small wedge of pumpkin, a celery stalk, a French shallot, a small fresh chilli, 1 tsp curry powder, seasoning and olive oil.

Wash and chop the vegetables into 1cm cubes. Slice the shallot very thin and gently fry in 2 tbsp oil, adding the curry powder and chopped chilli (adjusted to your taste) once the shallot and vegetables have softened slightly. Mix well and fry gently for a minute or two, then add 650ml water and bring to the boil. When it’s boiling add the pearl barley, cover and simmer for the recommended cooking time of the pearl barley (check the pack, but should be around 30min). Season and let it stand for a few minutes before serving. You can sprinkle some sesame seeds if you like.

A most tasty soup – hard to believe that it’s also good for you and has very few calories. Maybe dieting is not so bad after all…

And Salmon, can you please fix the scales anyway: 32 stones was obviously wrong…