Zuppa di Farro, Tuscan Farro and Bean Soup
Zuppa di farro is winter food from Tuscany and Umbria, where farro has fed people since before durum pasta existed. It is a soup built for thrift, a handful of an ancient grain stretched with beans and whatever greens are cheap into something that eats like a meal. The trick to its body is old and simple: mash part of the beans so they melt into the broth and thicken it, a move Tuscan cooks use everywhere in place of cream or a roux. A small measure of dried porcini and their soaking liquid stand in for the depth that a ham bone or a pour of good oil would otherwise bring. Finish every bowl with a hard grind of black pepper and a little vinegar, and keep the pot; it is better on the second day.
Ingredients
- 1 cup Farro, rinsed
- 3 cups Cannellini beans, cooked, drained
- 1 cup Canned crushed tomatoes
- 1 whole Yellow onions, finely diced
- 2 wholes Carrots (cooking), diced
- 2 wholes Celery, diced
- 3 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 oz Dried porcini
- 4 cups Kale, stemmed and chopped
- 1 tsp Rosemary, minced
- 4 wholes Sage, leaves, minced
- 2 wholes Bay leaves
- 1/4 tsp Red pepper flakes
- 1/2 tsp Black peppercorns, freshly ground
- 1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
Method
- Cover the dried porcini with 1 cup (240 ml) hot water and leave them to soak while you start the soup. That soaking water becomes a free, meaty stock, which is the whole reason a small handful of porcini earns its place.
- Sweat the onion, carrot, and celery in a heavy pot with 1/3 cup (80 ml) water, covered, over medium heat until soft and sweet, about 12 minutes. This is the soffritto, the base of the soup, and cooking it slow in water instead of frying it in oil still pulls the sweetness out of the vegetables.
- Stir in the garlic, rosemary, sage, bay leaves, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute. Lift the porcini out of their liquid, chop them, and add them too, pouring in the soaking water but leaving the last gritty spoonful behind in the bowl.
- Add the farro, crushed tomatoes, and 6 cups (1.4 L) water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, partly covered, for 30 minutes. Mash about a third of the cannellini with a fork, then stir in all the beans, mashed and whole. The mashed beans dissolve and thicken the broth to a creamy body with no cream, while the whole ones stay intact.
- Simmer 10 minutes more, until the farro is tender with a slight chew. Stir in the kale and cook until it wilts and softens, about 5 minutes. Farro is added early because it holds its bite through a long simmer where soft grains would break down.
- Take out the bay leaves, then stir in the black pepper and the red wine vinegar. The splash of vinegar at the end sharpens the whole pot and does the job salt usually would. The soup thickens as it stands, so loosen leftovers with a little water when you reheat them.
Nutrition
Estimated per serving: 260 calories, 12 g protein, 11 g fiber, 95 mg sodium. Computed from USDA FoodData Central reference values for the main ingredients. This is an approximation, not a laboratory measurement. How these are computed.
Cost per serving is estimated from US national-average retail prices for cheap staple forms, using BLS dried-bean prices and USDA produce prices. Prices vary by store and season, so treat it as a guide, not a receipt. How this is computed.
