Get out of pasta rut and into something divine ~ Recipe: Moroccan bean and vegetable soup with farro

When most people think about Italian cuisine, they think pasta. But in many of my Italian classes, nary a strand can be found. That’s because Italian cuisine is so much more than a plate of pasta; other starches need fair and equal time. Take farro for example. It’s one of the oldest unhybridizied forms of wheat and has been a part of the Italian diet for centuries. But when was the last time you had farro? Probably never. Ever see farro on most mainstream Italian menus? It’s not there, but it should be.

But even if you never see it served in a restaurant, it’s easy to prepare at home. So move over rigatoni, a new “old” kid is in town.

High in fiber with a good nutty and slightly crunchy texture, farro can be used in so many ways. Simply enjoy it with a tad of butter or olive oil drizzle and with a simple sprinkling of salt and pepper. Treat it as a breakfast grain (I do!). And I love it in soups to add body and texture as in the soup recipe below.

Farro is a snap to prepare, simply soak the grain for about 25 minutes in water to cover, drain. Bring to a boil n a pot with double the amount of water per cup of grain and simmer uncovered for about 25 minutes. Drain off the excess water. Now it’s ready for use any way you wish.

My favorite brand is vacuum sealed for extra freshness (a very good thing). You can find Rustichella D’ Abruzzo at specialty stores and Whole Foods Market. It’s imported by Manicaretti from Oakland California. www.manicaretti.com or www.rustichella.it

So get out of your pasta rut and enjoy something healthier and feel part of the wonderful ancient culture that is Italy!

MOROCCAN BEAN AND VEGETABLE SOUP WITH FARRO

Even though farro is Italian, it works beautifully with the exotic spices of Morocco. The texture is a perfect contrast to the smooth silky puree.

3 Tbsp olive oil
4 cups sliced onions
1 tsp minced garlic
½ Tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp ground ginger
pinch cayenne
2 quarts chicken stock
3 cups peeled and thinly sliced carrots
2 cups sliced zucchini
2 cups sliced yellow squash
4 cups thinly sliced potatoes
1/4 cup lemon juice
½ cup chopped cilantro
2 cups canned chickpeas
1 cup diced canned tomatoes

2 cups cooked farro*

1. Heat the oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute for 3 minutes. Add in the cumin, cinnamon, ginger and cayenne and cook for 1 minute. Add in the broth, carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and potatoes and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer for 1 hour.

2. Remove the pan from the heat and add the lemon juice and cilantro. Transfer in batches to a food processor and puree until smooth, or use an immersion blender to puree the entire batch at once. . Return the pureed soup to a saucepan and add in the chickpeas, tomatoes and cooked farro. Simmer for 2 minutes. Serve topped with cilantro.

All photographs courtesy of Olga Berman from Mango & Tomato

And now a few words from Olga: if you have a food processor, it’ll be your best friend for this soup. I used my food processor to slice all the vegetables included in the soup. Not only was it incredibly easy and fast, but it also decreased the cooking time and let everything cook uniformly. This is a great soup to freeze, as you’ll have a lot of it!