Chickpea Porcini Farro Soup Food

CREAMY CHICKPEA & FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• In a large soup pot, heat the oil and then add the pancetta, carrots, onion, celery and garlic.
• Cook over medium heat, stirring often, until the vegetables are tender and the pancetta pieces are lightly browned, about 8 minutes
• Add the chickpeas to the pot with the vegetables and cover everything with broth by at least 1 inch.
• Season with salt and pepper, oregano, and rosemary.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and slowly simmer for another 15 minutes or so to develop and meld the flavors.
• Remove half the bean and vegetable mixture, and puree until smooth in a food processor, then return to the pot.
• Add the farro to the pot, and simmer for about 25 minutes, or until the farro is just about tender to the bite. If the soup gets too thick, add additional broth to thin as needed.
• Taste, and adjust salt and pepper as needed.
• Serve in individual bowls topped with some cracked black pepper and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.
• Sprinkle top of soup with the crispy pancetta bits if using and serve.

CHICKPEA SOUP WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Rinse the chickpeas, and put them in a bowl with enough cold water to cover by at least 4 inches. Let soak for 12 to 24 hours in a cool place.
• Drain and rinse the beans, put them in the soup pot with 5 quarts of fresh cold water, and bring to the boil over high heat. Drop in the dried porcini pieces, partially cover the pot, and adjust the heat to maintain steady but gentle bubbling while you prepare the pestata.
• Put the onion, garlic, celery, all the herbs, and 1 teaspoon of the salt in the work bowl of the food processor. Process to chop everything to small bits, scrape down the bowl, and process again into a finely minced paste.
• Pour the olive oil into the skillet, and set over medium-high heat. Scrape and stir in all of the pestata, and cook for 2 or 3 minutes, stirring frequently, until it starts to color and stick to the pan. Add the crushed tomatoes.
• Scrape the paste into the boiling soup. Slosh a cup or two of the soup liquid into the skillet to deglaze, scraping up any browned bits stuck to the bottom; pour this into the soup too. Now let the soup perk along steadily for about an hour, uncovered, to develop flavor and reduce slightly.
• Dump in all the sliced mushrooms and another teaspoon salt, stir well, and let the soup bubble and reduce for another hour, or until the chickpeas are tender and the broth has thickened slightly with a velvety sheen. Taste and adjust the seasoning. Serve right away, or let it cool and use later.
• Ladle portions of hot soup into warm bowls, sprinkle freshly grated cheese over, and give each portion a flourish of excellent olive oil. Pass more cheese at the table.

CREAMY FARRO AND CHICKPEA SOUP

Steps:

• Drain chickpeas, and place in a medium earthenware pan or saucepan. Cover with plenty of cold water, and bring to a boil. Add sea salt and bay leaves. Reduce heat, and cook, covered, until very soft, about 1 1/2 hours.
• Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and gently cook onion, prosciutto and celery for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft but not brown. Drain farro, and add it along with the chicken broth, marjoram and nutmeg to the onion mixture. Cook, partially covered, for about 1 hour.
• Drain chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard bay leaves. In a food processor, puree chickpeas with 1 cup of the reserved liquid. Add pureed chickpeas to the farro mixture; if necessary, add more of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas to achieve the consistency of a creamy soup. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Wait 10 minutes before serving, and sprinkle each portion with chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.