This frugal farro soup is from the rugged Apennines that separate Emilia-Romagna from Tuscany -- an area that was often isolated for months on end during the winter before the advent of railroads and asphalt.
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- 1/4 pound (100 g) farro in whole grains (use spelt or emmer if need be)
- 2 quarts water
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 bay leaves
- 3/4 cup whole milk
- 4 large potatoes
- 1 carrot
- 1 onion and 1 rib celery, minced
- 2 heaping tablespoons tomato sauce
- 1/4 pound (100 g) pancetta or a small pig's trotter (optional)
Preparation:
Prepare the farro: Wash it well, picking out impurities such as bits of chaff, pebbles, or bad grains, and soak it for at least 8 hours.
Once it has soaked set it to cook with all the remaining ingredients except the potatoes and the milk.
After 2 1/2 half hours add the potatoes and cook a half-hour longer, then check seasoning.
Mash the potatoes, stir the milk into them, and return the mixture to the pot; serve piping hot.
Be sure to stir frequently lest the soup stick and burn.
A wine? White, perhaps a Bianco dei Colli Bolognesi.
Once it has soaked set it to cook with all the remaining ingredients except the potatoes and the milk.
After 2 1/2 half hours add the potatoes and cook a half-hour longer, then check seasoning.
Mash the potatoes, stir the milk into them, and return the mixture to the pot; serve piping hot.
Be sure to stir frequently lest the soup stick and burn.
A wine? White, perhaps a Bianco dei Colli Bolognesi.
