Tuscan Farro Soup

Mark Bittman

Yield 4 servings
Time 1 1/2 hours

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, sliced
2 celery stalks, trimmed and chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup farro, spelt or barley (I used 1/3 cup barley and 1/3 cup farro)
1 cup dried white beans, soaked for several hours or overnight
2 cups chopped tomatoes (canned are fine; do not drain)
6 cups stock or water, more as necessary
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil, optional
Freshly grated Parmesan

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 (I added 1 & 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice and 1/2 teaspoon sugar), then serve with lots of Parmesan. (I served with dollop of sour-cream)

Recipe comes from New York Times Cooking (968 ratings excellent reviews). It's a second recipe by Mark Bittman. First one was Cranberry Walnut torte (even Friendly for Passover)