Farro and Chickpea Soupsou

Farro and Chickpea Soup

Farro is an ancient grain that is used in Italian dishes like salad and soups.  It is chewy even after cooking for awhile in a soup.  I hope you like this recipe and barley can be substituted if farro is hard to find.  Enjoy!

1 ½ cups farro, soaked for an hour or longer in cold water

tablespoon olive oil

1 onion, finely chopped

1 celery rib, finely diced

2 tablespoon finely chopped rosemary

2 tablespoon finely chopped parsley

3 bay leaves

1 garlic clove, peeled

a chunk of Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese rind

2 cups of chopped tomatoes

6 cups vegetable stock

2 cups chickpeas cooked

2 cups of Swiss chard

Sea salt and freshly ground pepper

extra-virgin olive oil

1 teaspoon minced rosemary

Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

1. Drain the farro.

2. Heat the oil in a wide soup pot and add the onion, celery, rosemary, parsley, and bay leaves.

3. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until the onion has softened but not browned, about 5 minutes.

4. Add the garlic, cheese rind, drained farro, tomatoes, and stock.

5. Bring to a boil, then cover the pan and simmer until the farro is tender about 20 minutes.

6. Add the chickpeas and Swiss chard.

&.  Cook another 5-10 minutes.

7. Taste for salt and season with pepper.

8. Ladle the soup into bowls, drizzle over some olive oil, add the rosemary, and grate in a little cheese.