Let’s FINALLY Make that Minestra di Farro Today

So..help me remember……exactly where were we on making our Minestra di Farro? Last time, seems like we got all the way through soaking and cooking our borlotti beans on this post.

Today, let’s get to making that soup, shall we?

Drain the beans, and reserve the liquid for making a different soup tomorrow….but for now, let’s get back to our final product. Measure 1 cup of the reserved liquid to use today.

Rinse the pot, back on the stove top it goes, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 4 cloves of chopped garlic. Cook for about 20 seconds – don’t brown it. The recipe also calls for 1 thinly sliced onion, which I can’t eat…so we just sub with more garlic and skip the “cook the onion until soft, then add the garlic” part….. 8 torn mint leaves are also in the recipe, but did not have any on hand. No biggie.

Add 5 cups of stock/water combo (I don’t use all stock, due to the sodium levels – even low sodium is a bit much!) We use a 4 cup low sodium carton.

Add 1/2 cup of the reserved bean water to the stock in the pot. (Save the other 1/2 cup for thinning out the soup later if needed.) Bring to a boil.

Next, go to Italy, and buy 7 ounces of farro. It’s an ancient grain that is becoming readily available in the US, sometimes in bulk bins at supermarkets or specialty stores. I’ll help you shop for it, if you join us on our next trip to Italy!

Slowly add the farro so the stock continues to boil. Stir, reduce heat, and simmer for 15-20 minutes. Add the borlotti beans, and cook for another 15 minutes or so, until the farro is “al dente”. You can stir occasionally if needed.

Remove from the heat. Use your immersion blender and process until about 1/2 of the mixture is creamy.

Add 1 cup of grated parmesan, and stir. Now you can now add as much of that 1/2 cup of reserved bean liquid as needed. Up to you, my dears. If you don’t use it all, save it with the rest of the reserved liquid for another day’s soup.

Ladle your luscious creamy-yet-no-cream hearty soup into a large trough bowl, drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with a bit more parmesan cheese.

(Oh, and see that bread on the pizza pan by the soup? I’ll tell you all about that next time.)

Next, snuggle on the couch with your blankie and dive in! Dinner is served.

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