Farro And Bean Soup Recipes

FARRO AND BEAN SOUP

Steps:

• Combine beans and farro in a bowl and cover with 1 1/2 quarts water. Soak for 4 to 6 hours, or overnight.
• Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large, heavy soup pot or casserole over medium heat and add half the pancetta, if using, and half the onions. Cook, stirring often, until tender, about 5 minutes, and stir in half the garlic. Cook, stirring, until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add beans and farro, along with the soaking water. Add another 1 1/2 quarts water and bouquet garni and bring to a gentle boil. Skim foam, reduce heat, cover and simmer 1 hour.
• Meanwhile, heat the remaining olive oil in a heavy skillet and add pancetta. (If not using pancetta, add the remaining onion and the carrot, celery and leeks now.) Cook, stirring often, until pancetta releases some of its fat. Add the remaining onion, and carrot, celery and leeks. Add a generous pinch of salt and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 5 to 8 minutes.
• Stir in the remaining garlic and the sage. Cook until garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds to 1 minute, add the tomatoes and juice, and salt to taste. Cook, stirring, until tomatoes have cooked down slightly and the mixture is very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Stir into the beans and farro and mix well.
• Add the tomato paste and salt to taste. (You will need a generous amount.) Continue to simmer 30 to 45 minutes, or until beans and farro are very tender and the soup thick, almost creamy. Add pepper, taste and adjust salt. Remove bouquet garni.
• Stir in the parsley and additional chopped sage if desired. Serve with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of Parmesan over each bowl.

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.

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.

ROTISSERIE CHICKEN, WHITE BEAN AND FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• For the chicken broth: Add the chicken carcass, thyme, rosemary, oregano, onion, 10 cups cold or room-temperature water, 1 tablespoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper to a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or large saucepan. Bring the water to a boil and immediately reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the broth has a rich chicken flavor, about 15 minutes. Strain the mixture, making sure to remove all bones and large pieces; it is okay if some of the dried spices go through your strainer. Either use the broth immediately to make this soup or cool completely, then store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days or in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
• For the rotisserie chicken, white bean and farro soup: Heat the olive oil in a 4 1/2-quart Dutch oven or large saucepan over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the parsley and zucchini and cook until the zucchini is softened and just beginning to brown in parts, about 5 minutes; season with salt. Add the escarole, stirring to fold it in evenly with the zucchini to help it cook down. Continue to cook, stirring, until the escarole is completely wilted and any excess water from it has cooked off, about 5 minutes; season with salt.
• Add the chicken broth and bring to a simmer; this will take different amounts of time depending on if you are using broth from the refrigerator or if you are immediately using the broth after making it. Either way, warm the broth through before stirring in the shredded chicken, white beans and farro. Continue to simmer to warm through the last ingredients, about 5 minutes; add salt to taste. Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon juice. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan.

KALE, WHITE BEAN, AND FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a medium pot over medium. Add onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring, until vegetables are tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Add sage and tomatoes; cook, stirring, 2 minutes. Add 6 cups water, kale, and beans; season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, until greens are tender, 30 minutes. Let cool slightly.
• Transfer 2 cups of soup to a blender; puree. Return to pot; stir in farro and season with salt and pepper. Serve with a drizzle of oil.

MUSHROOM AND FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add mushrooms, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened and moisture has evaporated, 7 to 10 minutes.
• Add farro to the pot and cook, stirring frequently, for 2 to 3 minutes. Season with garlic powder, onion powder, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Pour in white wine and cook until wine has mostly evaporated, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low, and cook until farro is softened, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Stir in frozen peas and cook until heated through, 1 to 2 minutes. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Remove soup from heat and discard bay leaf before serving.

KALE, WHITE BEAN, AND FARRO STEW

Steps:

• Blend contents of 1 can cannellini beans with its liquid in a blender until pureed.
• Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Cook and stir celery, carrots, Spanish onion, and leek in hot oil until the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes; add garlic and continue cooking until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes more.
• Stir farro into the vegetable mixture; add water, pureed cannellini beans, the drained cannellini beans, diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, zucchini, tomato paste, thyme, and red pepper flakes. Stir the mixture well and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium-low, place a cover on the pot, and simmer until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to 1 hour.
• Stir kale, salt, and pepper into the stew. Add more water to the stew if needed to keep everything covered in liquid and continue cooking until the kale is bright green and fully tender, about 30 minutes more.