Salt and pepper to taste Put the meat, water, salt and washed pearl barley into a large saucepan. Bring to a boil very slowly and skim. Dice the vegetables and wash and shred the cabbage and add to the pan. Bring the soup back to a boil again and simmer very gently until the meat is cooked and the peas are tender - about two hours. Add parsley and salt and pepper to taste. Posted by Gavin Davies. Courtesy of Fred Peters.