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Zuppa di farro della Garfagnana
Emmer and bean soup
Zuppa di farro: Garfagnana's emmer wheat soup with borlotti beans and vegetables
In the Garfagnana, the wooded mountain valley north of Lucca in Tuscany, farro (emmer wheat) has been grown for 2,000 years and has its own protected status. The classic local dish is a thick, warming soup of farro and borlotti beans, half of them puréed, with onion, carrot, celery, tomato and herbs, served in winter with a thread of new olive oil. Chef's tip: blend half of the cooked beans before adding the farro; it gives the soup a creamy body.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
- 9 oz dried borlotti beanssoaked overnight, or 2 × 400 g tins, drained
- 7 oz farro (emmer wheat)rinsed
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oilplus extra to serve
- 1 onionchopped
- 1 carrotchopped
- 1 celery stickchopped
- 2 cloves garlicchopped
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black pepper
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Method
0/4 doneStep 1: Drain soaked 9 oz dried borlotti beans, cover with fresh 8 ¼ cups water, add 4 sage leaves and simmer for 60–75 minutes, until tender. (Skip this if using tins.) Blend half of the beans with some of their liquid.
75 minStep 2: Heat 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil and cook 1 onion, 1 carrot, 1 celery stick, 2 cloves garlic and 1 sprig rosemary for 8 minutes, until soft. Add 7 oz tinned chopped tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes.
13 minStep 3: Add the bean purée, the whole beans, their liquid (about 1.2 litres in total; top up with water) and 7 oz farro (emmer wheat). Simmer for 30–40 minutes, stirring often, until the farro is tender but chewy. Common mistake: not stirring; farro sticks to the bottom.
40 minStep 4: Season with 1 ½ tsp salt and ½ tsp black pepper. Rest for 10 minutes, then serve with a drizzle of oil.
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 380 kcal
- Protein
- 16 g
- Carbs
- 58 g
- Fat
- 10 g
- Fibre
- 11 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does zuppa di farro della Garfagnana take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 20 minutes to prepare and 90 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of carrot?
- Parsnip or sweet potato, same weight.
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