Tasty Tuesday!

Tomato Soup with Basil and Farro

     I've missed you guys! I haven't posted in 2 weeks! I refuse to chalk up my lack of blog posts to laziness because I have been busier than ever trying to work through this Master's thesis. There is light at the end of the tunnel! I tried posting a new recipe last week but for some reason I could not load pictures and who wants a recipe with no pictures? No one! That's who. So, I apologize for my lack of posts but I have a lot of posts ready to go. Keep checking back in.
 
     This week I am posting yet another soup recipe. Tired of soup? Well you shouldn't be. Soup is pretty boss especially during this recent cold snap. I don't remember the last time (if ever) I experienced snow in October but last week we got a fresh dusting. Growing up in the south, cold weather was my sworn enemy. To me, anything below 50 degree was unfit for human beings but over the past few years I have learned to embrace cold weather. I really love waking up early and going for a walk when the air is cold and crisp. Then, when the weather is really cold and there is enough snow on the ground I trek around and pretend that I am "Jeremiah Johnson".

     But...I'll never be as badass as Jeremiah (or Robert Redford for that matter). I could make soup for him though! I've got that going for me....which is nice. This week I wanted to work through the last of my tomatoes and I found a recipe using an ingredient I had never heard of before called farro. If you aren't familiar with farro it is essentially wheat left in whole grain form. Farro is usually ground to make wheat flour but it is excellent to cook with when left whole. So, if you can find farro in your area (look for Bob's Red Mill brand or any place that sells bulk food) give this recipe a try. If you can't find farro, leave it out. This recipe makes a great tomato soup that can stand on its own. I hope you dig it.

• 1 1/2 cups of farro
• 3 large springs of basil, leaves and stems separated
• Olive oil
• Garlic, minced (I used 4 cloves)
• 1 large leek, trimmed, cut in half length-wise, and diced. The white and light green part only.
• 4-6 large tomatoes, cored, and cut into wedges. I'm guessing I used about 3 pounds worth
• Black pepper

1. Bring 8 cups of water and 1 1/2 tablespoons of salt to a boil. Lower to medium heat, add the farro and basil stems. Cook until the farro is tender but still has a fair bit of bite. Drain, but reserve some of the liquid.
2. Heat some oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the garlic. Add the leek and allow all items to cook until soft.
3. Add the tomatoes, a little more salt (to taste), and 1 cup of the reserved cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer and cook until the tomatoes have fallen apart. (about half an hour).
4. Ladle the tomato mixture into a blender and puree. Add about half the farro to the blender and lightly pulse until the grans have broken down and the soup is chunky. Add the tomato mixture back to the pot and then add the remaining whole farro.
5. If the soup seems too thick add a little more of the reserved cooking liquid to obtain your desired consistency.
6. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Farro!

The trimmed leek and minced garlic

The last of my tomatoes...I'm sad to see them go.

After adding the tomatoes wedges, allow the mixture to cook.

Take care of yourself and each other...

Tasty Tuesday!

Tomato and Escarole Soup

   I had to do something with all the tomatoes taking up space in my refrigerator, on my counter tops, and a table in my dining room. Tomatoes will continue to produce until the first frost of the year so even though the weather is getting colder, the tomato vines are still producing and I'm always trying to find new ways to use them. I'll be talking more about food preservation in the coming weeks but this week I bring you a great soup recipe. This soup uses escarole, a leafy green similar to kale, which I have never used before so I was curious to try a new ingredient. Escarole, like most leafy greens, is really good for you and also very cheap (which is nice). This recipe also produces quite a bit of soup so make it for a small group of people or you'll be having leftovers for a while.

If you are curious as to what my house looks like overrun by tomatoes it looks a little like this.

• 1 1/2 pounds of tomatoes (I used about 6 medium sized)
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 2-3 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 medium bunch of escarole (chopped into bite sized pieces)
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste

1. You have to remove the skin from the tomatoes so bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil. Using a knife, cut and "x" into the bottom of each tomato (not too deep). When the water begins to boil, gently place the tomatoes into the water until the skin becomes loose and easy to remove.
2. Once the tomatoes are cool, cut them in half and gently squeeze out any excess water and seeds (you don't have to be incredibly thorough).
3. You can place the tomatoes into a blender and puree if you like but I just finely chopped the tomatoes to create a chunkier consistency.
4. In a clean pot over medium heat, add the olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add the onion and garlic, stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes.
5. Add the chopped escarole and 1 cup of vegetable broth. Add a little salt and pepper to taste. The vegetable broth will usually have salt in it so be careful. Stir the escarole once in a while and allow it to wilt and become tender.
6. Add the tomatoes, and the remaining vegetable broth. Cover and cook over low heat until all the flavors have blended.

Let the tomatoes cool after you remove the skins.

The escarole ready to be chopped

The soup is almost ready.

Take care of yourself and each other...