Chickpea Porcini Farro Soup Recipes

CHICKPEA, PORCINI & FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Put the chickpeas in a large bowl with water to cover and soak for at least 4 hours or up to overnight. Drain the chickpeas, rinse well, and place in a large saucepan. Add 8 cups (64 oz/ 2 l) cold water and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to low and simmer,uncovered, until the chickpeas are tender, about 2 hours. In a large, heavy pot, warm the oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary and sauté until the onion is softened, 5 - 7 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve the tomato paste in 1 cup (8 oz/250 ml) warm water and add to the pot. Stir in the chickpeas and their cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes. Add the broth, return to a simmer, and cook, uncovered, until the flavors have blended, about 30 minutes. Remove from the heat and let cool slightly. Discard the rosemary sprig. Working in batches, purée the soup in the blender. Return to the pot and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the farro and cook until tender yet still slightly chewy, about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, to prepare the mushrooms, thinly slice them lengthwise. In a large frying pan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring until they begin to soften, about 3 - 4 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the wine and thyme, and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushroom juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and discard the thyme sprig. Stir in the butter. Stir the mushrooms into the soup. Serve, drizzled with olive oil and garnished with a grinding of pepper.

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.

CHICKPEA, PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• • Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water and drain. Place in a large bowl with cold water to cover generously and soak for at least 4 hours or overnight. • Drain and rinse well and transfer to a large saucepan. Add the cold water and bring to a boil over high heat, skimming off the foam that rises to the surface. Reduce low and simmer, uncovered, until the chickpeas are tender, about 2 hours. Remove from the heat. • In a soup pot warm the olive oil. Add the onion, garlic and rosemary sprig and sauté until the onion is softened and translucent but not browned, about 6 minutes. In a small bowl, dissolve the tomato paste in the warm water and add to the pot. Stir in the chickpeas and their cooking liquid and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer over medium heat and cook for 3 minutes. Add broth, return to a simmer and cook, uncovered, about 30 minutes more. Discard the rosemary sprig. • Process the soup in the pot with an immersion blender. Return the soup to a simmer over medium heat, add the farro and cook until farro is tender. about 25 minutes. Meanwhile, cut away the tips of the mushroom stems. Thinly slice the mushrooms lengthwise. In a large, heavy-bottomed fry pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms and cook until they begin to soften, 3 to 4 minutes. Raise the heat to high, add the wine and thyme sprig, and cook, stirring constantly, to cook off the alcohol from the wine, about 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to low, season with salt and pepper, and continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are cooked and their juices have evaporated, about 15 minutes more. Remove from the heat and discard the thyme sprig. Stir in the butter. • Add the mushrooms to the soup and stir to combine. Ladle the soup into warmed soup bowls, garnish with a drizzle of olive oil and a sprinkling of ground pepper and serve immediately. Serves 4 to 6.