Minestra di Farro | Soup Warms the Soul

Only the pure in heart can make a good soup
Ludwig Von Beethoven
 
copyright 2014 Art of Living, PrimaMedia,Inc/Maria Liberati
Warm and steaming  hot are  my 2  favorite ways to eat on these cold days in the mountains! But never fear… a warm pot of soup or minestra is always brewing to make the cold a bit more bearable. This is one of my favorite soups it warm up my afternoon
 
Minestra di Farro

(Minestra of Farro)
*8 ounces of farro
*1/2 cup of speckled beans (dry and soaked in water for 12 hours)
*1 onion
*1 celery stick
*1 carrot
*2 tablespoons of plain tomato sauce
*5 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
*2 tablespoons of pecorino cheese grated
*salt & pepper to taste
After soaking the speckled beans overnight, cook them in 4 cups of  boiling water for 1 hour and 3o minutes. Wash carrot, celery and chop onion, celery, carrot.
 
Drizzle olive oil in saucepan and heat, add in chopped vegetables and saute. After 5 minutes add in tomato sauce and 2 tblsps of hot water, stir and let cook for another 10 minutes. Add sauted chopped vegetables with tomato sauce into beans and boiling water.
Place in farro and let cook for an hour. Serve hot with a drizzle of olive oil and grated pecorino cheese.
And you can also add in a quenelles, which refers to a shape-sort of like a small football – they are usually made of creamy substances and are formed by passing back and forth the mixture with 2 spoons until they take shape…. these are made only with ricotta and finely chopped parsley…
For more Holiday recipes get your copy of The Basic Art of Holidays and Special Occasions-2nd editions