Chef Graziella
Arancini di Riso alla Siciliana
Golden fried rice balls from Sicily, where Arab cooks first wrapped saffron-scented rice around meat and cheese. The exterior shatters; the interior yields. This is street food elevated to art.
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Zuppa di Farro alla Garfagnina
Created by
Mountain soup from the chestnut forests of Tuscany, where farro has grown since Roman times. Beans, pancetta, and ancient grain simmered until they become something that warms you from the inside.
Main Dishes
Italian, Tuscan
Comfort Food
One Pot
Weeknight
30 min
Active Time
2 hr cook•2 hr 30 min total
Yield6 servings
In the mountains north of Lucca, where chestnut forests cover the slopes and the air is thin and cold, farmers have grown farro for two thousand years. This grain fed Roman legions. It sustained Tuscan peasants through winters when nothing else would grow. The soup they made from it is not delicate. It is not refined. It is food that keeps you alive.
Zuppa di farro is substantial in a way that surprises Americans, who think of soup as something you eat before the real food arrives. In Garfagnana, this is the real food. The farro swells and softens but keeps its pleasant chew. The beans dissolve partly into the broth, thickening it. The pancetta provides richness without overwhelming. What you have is a bowl that could be a meal for a woodcutter or a shepherd.
I have eaten this soup in trattorias in Castelnuovo di Garfagnana, where they bring it to the table in earthenware crocks, the olive oil already pooled on top. The owner's grandmother made it the same way. Her grandmother before that. The recipe does not change because it does not need to change. What would you add? What would you take away?
Farro cultivation in Garfagnana dates to Etruscan and Roman times, making it one of the oldest continuously farmed grains in Italy. The soup emerged as peasant sustenance in the mountain villages, where the grain stored well through harsh winters. In 1996, Farro della Garfagnana received IGP protection, acknowledging both its historical significance and the specific terroir of this small Tuscan valley.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
dried cannellini beans
Quantity
1 cup
soaked overnight
farro
Quantity
1 cup
preferably from Garfagnana
pancetta
Quantity
4 ounces
diced
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
3 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
diced fine
carrot
Quantity
1
peeled and diced fine
celery stalk
Quantity
1
diced fine
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
lightly crushed
whole peeled tomatoes
Quantity
1 can (14 ounces)
crushed by hand
fresh rosemary
Quantity
2 sprigs
fresh sage leaves
Quantity
4
Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
Quantity
3-4 inches
water or vegetable broth
Quantity
8 cups
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| dried cannellini beanssoaked overnight | 1 cup |
| farropreferably from Garfagnana | 1 cup |
| pancettadiced | 4 ounces |
| extra virgin olive oil | 3 tablespoons, plus more for drizzling |
| yellow oniondiced fine | 1 medium |
| carrotpeeled and diced fine | 1 |
| celery stalkdiced fine | 1 |
| garlic cloveslightly crushed | 2 |
| whole peeled tomatoescrushed by hand | 1 can (14 ounces) |
| fresh rosemary | 2 sprigs |
| fresh sage leaves | 4 |
| Parmigiano-Reggiano rind | 3-4 inches |
| water or vegetable broth | 8 cups |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 6-quart Dutch oven or soup pot
- •Food mill or potato masher for bean puree
- •Large pot for cooking beans
Instructions
- 1
Cook the beans
Drain the soaked beans and place them in a pot. Cover with fresh cold water by three inches. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook until tender but not falling apart, about one hour. The beans should hold their shape when pressed between your fingers. Drain, reserving two cups of the cooking liquid. Set aside one third of the beans separately.
Never add salt to beans until they are completely tender. Salt toughens the skins and you will wait forever for them to cook properly. - 2
Render the pancetta
In a heavy pot, combine the diced pancetta with one tablespoon of olive oil. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pancetta is golden and slightly crisp, about 8 minutes. The pancetta should release its fat slowly. If it sizzles violently, your heat is too high.
- 3
Build the soffritto
Add the remaining two tablespoons of olive oil to the pot with the pancetta. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook slowly over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely soft and the onion is translucent, about 15 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook one minute more. The garlic should perfume the soffritto, not dominate it. Remove and discard the garlic.
The soffritto is the foundation. One can often trace the unsatisfying taste of would-be Italian soups to the reluctance of cooks to execute this step thoroughly. Give it the time it requires. - 4
Add tomatoes and herbs
Add the crushed tomatoes to the pot. Stir well and cook for five minutes until the tomatoes begin to break down and meld with the soffritto. Add the rosemary sprigs, sage leaves, and Parmigiano rind. Stir to combine.
- 5
Puree part of the beans
Pass the reserved one third of beans through a food mill or mash them thoroughly with a fork until smooth. This puree will thicken the soup and give it body. Add the puree and the whole beans to the pot. Stir to combine.
- 6
Add liquid and farro
Pour in the water or broth and the reserved bean cooking liquid. Bring to a simmer. Add the farro and stir well. Reduce heat to low. The soup should simmer gently, with only an occasional bubble breaking the surface. Cook uncovered, stirring every 15 minutes, until the farro is tender but retains some chew, about 45 minutes to one hour.
Farro from Garfagnana is a semi-pearled grain that cooks more quickly than whole farro. If using whole farro, soak it overnight with the beans and expect a longer cooking time. - 7
Adjust and rest
The soup will thicken as it cooks. If it becomes too thick, add water. It should be substantial but still flow from a ladle. Season with salt and pepper. Remove the rosemary stems and cheese rind. Let the soup rest off heat for 15 minutes before serving. The flavors need time to settle.
- 8
Serve properly
Ladle the soup into warmed bowls. Drizzle each serving generously with your finest olive oil. The oil is not decoration. It finishes the dish. Serve immediately, with good bread for dipping. This is a meal, not a first course.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out farro from Garfagnana if possible. It carries IGP certification and has a nuttier, more complex flavor than commercial farro. Failing that, any quality Italian farro will serve.
- •The cheese rind is not optional. It adds depth and body without any identifiable cheese flavor. Save your Parmigiano rinds in the freezer until you have enough for soup.
- •This soup thickens considerably as it sits. When reheating, add water to restore the proper consistency. Some prefer it thicker the second day. Both are correct.
- •Pancetta is not bacon. Bacon is smoked. Pancetta is cured with salt and spices. The smokiness of bacon would fight with the other flavors here. Use pancetta.
Advance Preparation
- •Beans can be cooked two days ahead and refrigerated in their cooking liquid.
- •The completed soup improves overnight and keeps well for four days in the refrigerator. It will become very thick. Add water when reheating and adjust seasoning.
- •The soup freezes adequately for two months, though the farro softens further upon thawing. Some would call this a flaw. Others prefer it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
395 calories
Total Fat
18 g
Saturated Fat
5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
12 g
Cholesterol
11 mg
Sodium
800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
46 g
Dietary Fiber
8 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
16 g
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