Onion Soup Style Farro Recipes

THREE-ONION FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks, onions, scallion whites, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a couple turns of pepper. Cover and cook, stirring every 4 or 5 minutes, until the onion is very soft, about 15 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary and stirring often, until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes more. (Loosen and scrape up any browned onion with a splash of water as necessary.)
• Stir in the farro and wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, beef broth, Worcestershire, bay leaves and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
• Preheat the broiler to high with a rack set 4 inches from the heat source.
• Divide the soup among flame-proof serving bowls and sprinkle evenly with the Gruyere. Broil until the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the scallion greens and serve.

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.

ONE-POT FRENCH ONION FARRO

Steps:

• Set a large pot over low heat. Add the olive oil and the onions. Cook, stirring once every 5 minutes or so to scrape up the brown bits from the bottom, until softened and golden brown, about 40 minutes. If the onions start to burn, lower the heat until they're cooking well but not burning.
• Once the onions are caramelized, add the garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally, for one minute.
• Add the wine, stirring until all of the brown bits are scraped up from the bottom of the pan (deglazing). Add the broth, farro, thyme, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Stir. Increase heat to medium-high to bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened and the farro is tender, 20-30 minutes. If the liquid cooks off before the farro is cooked through, add more broth, 1/2 cup at a time, until cooked. Stir in or top with parsley if desired.
• While the farro simmers, make the crostini. Set the slices of baguette on a baking sheet. In a small bowl, stir together the olive oil and salt. Using a pastry brush, brush both sides of the bread with the oil. Sprinkle individual crostini with Gruyere cheese, if using. Broil on high until toasted and golden brown, 2-5 minutes (the time really depends on your individual broiler. Watch carefully - they can burn fast!)
• To serve, spoon farro into bowls or onto a plate. Top with crostini.

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.