Imitation is the highest form of flattery: chestnut farro soup

Well, she's back, after a short trip to Texas. I will not comment on that trip here, only to say that I am glad I am back. Annalena is NOT a good traveller, she is even a worse business traveller, and this was business. In terms of her work year, however, in Annalena's mind, now it is smooth sailing. It is sort of like finishing up the last element of a compulsory figure skating routine: all done, now have some fun, and get to the finish without falling.

Ok, now onto food. Just before going, we visited one of our favorite haunts, Barbuto (there is no pun intended in writing about haunts on Halloween, believe me). They had a soup on the menu that appealed to the Guyman: chestnut farro soup with apple and honey.

Guy looked at me and said "well, you know how I can' resist anything with chestnuts in it."

Uh, no, I didn't. I was skeptical of the soup: chestnuts have a sweetness to them, as do apples, and honey? Well... But onward we went. The sweetness was actually quite muted, almost not there. It was a hearty, rich soup, that immediately presented itself to me as something that Annalena could copy.

And she did. And now, I want you to copy it too.

First, let us start with the most salient ingredient: the chestnuts. For all of us who enjoy chestnuts, the advent of vacuum packed, peeled, cooked chestnuts have changed our autumnal and winter cooking. If you have ever stained, burned, or otherwise damaged your manicure working with the "real" things, you will know what I mean. So, buy these things. They do not need refrigeration. For my recipe, get about a pound's worth of them.

You will also need some farro. Now, there is a dispute in the cooking world as to whether farro and spelt are the same. My view is that they are not; however, cooks do debate this extensively. If they are not the same, they are close enough that you could use spelt in place of faro. So, ragazzi, here's what you do: put a quantity of farro under a liquid in a 1:4 ratio. That is more liquid than you will need, but that is ok. Bear with me, and you will learn why. Add some salt, cover your pot, but leave a vent space, because the farro produces a starch which bubbles t othe top and makes a mess. You only need about a cup or cup and a half of cooked farro for this soup, but make extra. It is a terrific side dish, a wonderful addition to salad, and you can also eat it for breakfast as a cereal.

while that farro is cooking, get your basic soup veggies ready: equal quanitites of chopped celery, carrots, and an onion family member. I had a bunch of lovely leeks in the fridge, and I used one of them. Use an onion if you don't, or mix, or use what you've got. Put some olive oil in a soup pot, and add the veggies, together with a teaspoon or so of salt, and let them cook, w hile you prep the chestnuts.

How do you prep the chestnuts? It's absurdly easy. Get them out of the bag and break them up with your hands. Then add them to the vegetables, and stir everything together, with another teaspoon of salt. After a few minutes, no more than five, add a quart of liquid. I used chicken stock, but you could use vegetable, or water, and I think you'll be ok. Chestnuts are nice and rich and they thicken a soup in the same way that potatoes do. Cover the pot, and let this cook away for about half an hour.

Taste your farro. It will never be as soft as rice, but when it's "toothsome," it's done. Strain it through a colander, so that the liquid is saved because... you're gonna add this right to the soup. the starch gives some body to the soup, you don't waste the liqud, and all is well in the world.

We're going green here...

After the veggies have cooked for the half hour or so, check to see if the chestnuts are cooked, by piercing a few pieces with the tip of a sharp knife. If they fall apart, your're ready. Let the mess cool, because it's very hot, and you're about to puree this.

Fill your food process no more than half, and try to get an equal quantity of liquid and solid in the vessel. Puree for a few minutes. You will get a soft, dark brown puree. If it's too thick, don't worry. We can fix that. Probably, you did what Annalena does a lot, and used too many solids. Well, if that's the case, you'll have too much liquid in the remainder. And that's a good thing. Just keep on pureeing until you've done all of the soup. Check the texture. Too thick for you? Puree it again (that's what I did). And if it's STILL too thick, add some liquid. Taste it. See if you need some salt. Add it if you do, and then stir in the farro, which will be cool now, and will stop absorbing liquid. You'll have a LOT here - almost two quarts.

Now, onto the apple and honey. To my taste, it needs no apple, to Guy's taste it does. So we will add chopped, skinned apple to the soup beore we eat it. Not sure about the honey, but go easy.

If you go through this recipe, you will see room for variation beyond what I have written. For example, I would bet that if you have some left over cooked beans, they would take the place of the farro nicely. I also think you could add some hearty meat to this with no problem. Maybe some dairy for a richer soup? Play with it. Make some variations. Tell Annalena what you've done. Don't be strangers.