Luccan Farro Soup Recipes

LUCCAN FARRO SOUP (MARK BITTMAN)

Steps:

• Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
• Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil (if using), then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.

TUSCAN FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.
• Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil (if using), then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.

CHICKEN SOUP WITH TOASTED FARRO AND GREENS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a large stock pot or Dutch oven over medium. Add the leeks, carrots and celery, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened, but have not taken on any color, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Add the garlic, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Season well with salt and pepper.
• Add the farro and cook, stirring frequently, until slightly toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the stock and chicken thighs. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook until the chicken has cooked through and is no longer pink, 10 to 12 minutes, skimming any bits of foam that float to the surface, if desired. Using a slotted spoon or tongs, transfer the chicken to a cutting board. When cool enough to touch, shred the chicken into bite-size pieces.
• Continue simmering the soup until the farro is tender but still toothsome, about 20 minutes more. Add the chicken back to the pot along with the greens and stir until greens are gently wilted. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
• Ladle into bowls and grate lemon zest over top, if desired.

LUCCAN FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Put EVOO in large, deep saucepan over medium heat, a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir. Add faro, beans, tomatoes, stock, and stir. Bring to boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro and beans are tender, at least an hour, adding stock or water as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil, then cook another five minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings and serve with lots of Parmesan!

LEMONY SPINACH SOUP WITH FARRO

Steps:

• Melt the butter or heat the olive oil in the bottom of a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Stir in the leeks and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Stir in the garlic, rosemary and bay leaves; cook 1 minute more. Stir in the potatoes, stock, 2 cups water, 1 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer, partly covered, until vegetables are tender, 30 to 40 minutes.
• Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add farro and cook according to the timing on the package until just tender, about 20 to 30 minutes. Drain.
• Discard rosemary branches and bay leaves from the soup pot. Add spinach, cilantro and parsley, and simmer uncovered until very soft, 5 to 8 minutes. Using an immersion blender, purée soup until smooth. (Alternatively, you can purée the soup in batches in a blender or food processor.) If the soup is too thick, add a little water. If it's too thin, let it simmer uncovered for another few minutes to thicken. Stir in lemon juice and more salt to taste. Stir in farro.
• To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with a drizzle of olive oil, a few drops of lemon juice, flaky salt, red-pepper flakes and a little grated cheese, if desired.

TUSCAN FARRO AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Pick over and rinse beans. Soak in cold water to cover by 2 inches at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. Alternatively, quick-soak beans. Drain well.
• Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over moderate heat until hot but not smoking, then cook onion, carrots, celery, and garlic, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, about 10 minutes. Stir in water, drained beans, tomato, parsley, sage, and thyme and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, partially covered, stirring occasionally and adding more water if necessary to keep beans covered, until beans are tender, 2 to 3 hours.
• Discard thyme sprigs, then blend mixture in batches in a blender until smooth (use caution when blending hot liquids), transferring to a large bowl. Return soup to pot and bring to a boil. Add farro and salt, then reduce heat and simmer, stirring frequently, until farro is tender (it will be chewy like barley), about 30 minutes. Stir in pepper and serve drizzled with additional oil.