Toasted Farro Soup with White Beans and Fennel

Toasted Farro Soup with White Beans and Fennel

This recipe starts out by having you toast farro in olive oil. If you've never toasted a grain in oil or butter on your stovetop, you're in for a real treat. It makes your kitchen smell warm and nutty and a little bit sweet (as if you needed another reason not to leave the house).

|Hillary

Toasted Farro Soup with White Beans and Fennel

yield: serves 4-6

2 tbsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, peeled and diced

1 small fennel bulb, cored and diced

1 celery stalk, diced

1 carrot, diced

3 oz pancetta, chopped

1 cup farro

1 tbsp. tomato paste

3/4 cups crushed red pepper flakes

12 cups chicken stock

4 cups spinach

1 - 15 oz. can of cannellini beans

In a large cast iron pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add pancetta and cook until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Add farro and continue to cook, stirring often, until the farro is toasted and darkens in color, 3-5 minutes.

Add the diced onion, fennel, carrot, celery, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper and cook until the vegetables are softened, 6-8 minutes.  Add tomato paste and red pepper flakes, and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add the chicken stock  to the pot and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low and simmer, partially covered, until the farro is tender (60+ minutes).  Stir the beans and spinach into the soup and continue to cook until spinach is wilted. Serve with parmesan cheese and a drizzle of olive oil.