A Month-of-Mediterranean: Tuscan Farro Soup

Many soups are Mediterranean Diet compatible. No doubt you’ve eaten a number of Italian soups over the years: pasta e fagioli, minestrone, tomato basil, or tortellini.

I wanted something a bit different you might not have tried. I came across Mark Bittman’s Tuscan Farro Soup. Farro was new to me, and I thought it might be new to you. Of course, I modified the recipe slightly, because, you know me, I can’t follow a recipe straight! I don’t know if I improved it (since I never had the original), but you can try them both and see if I did. Mark Bittman's recipe is at:

Farro is made from a wheat grown only in certain areas in Italy, Tuscany being one, thus the name of the soup. It is an ancient grain and high in protein and fiber. You can also fix it as a side dish alongside fish and you will have a great meal.

Since you can’t make a little bit of soup, I decided to try this recipe out on some friends yesterday. I used their ratings (inferred from comments) instead of DH’s this time, but just so you know, he was a clean plater. I served my soup with my famous beer bread, Gouda, and fresh fruit compote.

Here’s my version:

Tuscan Farro Soup (10 +  servings)

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1 large onion, diced

2 celery stalks, chopped

2 carrots, chopped

Salt and pepper to taste

3 tablespoons minced garlic

1 cup farro (or sub in spelt or barley)

28 ounce can of diced tomatoes

3 tablespoons Italian seasoning

6 cups vegetable stock, more as necessary

Parmesan rind

2 cans white beans (cannelini are best)

¼ cup chopped fresh basil

Freshly grated Parmesan for the table

Put oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and lots of pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. 

Add garlic, and stir. Add farro, tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and stock. Stir.

Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture is at a low simmer. Add the parmesan rind and stir every half hour to distribute the melting cheese.

If the soup is too thick, add more vegetable broth to make soup-like or don’t add broth and serve it as a stew. You can eat the soup any time after the farro is cooked through. You want it a bit chewy, not mushy.

An hour before serving add the beans and basil. Continue the slow simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of shaved Parmesan and a basil leaf for garnish.

NOTE: I cook my soups a long time to allow flavors to develop. Bittman’s recipe says this should be ready in less than an hour and a half. So after I got it mixed together, sans beans and basil, I let it simmer for a few hours. You could put it in the slow cooker and let it sit for five hours on low. Add beans and basil and cook for another hour. 

Roz and Diane’s Rating: 5 Tongues (Inferred)

“I suppose I have to go to your blog for the recipe.” They liked it! They really liked it! Yep, this recipe is a keeper!

Million-Way Muffins

We love muffins at our house--savory and sweet, and there’s always a kind or two in the freezer for when someone drops by. So when I read Mark Bittman’s post on modifying a basic recipe to make many kinds of muffins, I knew I had to do a post on this myself.

Bittman’s article is found at http://shine.yahoo.com/shine-food/mark-bittman-muffins-infinite-ways-180900902.html

I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. (I’m kind of a Bittman groupie. I read everything of his I come across.)

His recipe is here with some of his modifications. Then I include some of my own recipes adaptations. (In Mission Impastable (Oak Tree Press), I included a blueberry muffin recipe from a friend’s mother that has great sentimental value for me. I did an earlier post on that recipe.) Muffins and I go way back.

Muffins are an amazingly versatile and forgiving batter. Play with combos that sound interesting to you. Adding ½ to ¾ cup of nuts increases the protein. Adding fresh or dried fruits increases food value, too. I love spices, so I’ll play with cardamon and banana instead of cinnamon. Or go crazy and dump the spices you use for pumpkin pie (sans or with pumpkin) to make spice muffins. Lemon zest and rosemary? Mmm mmm good!

Cut down the sugar to make muffins more savory and add cheese and basil. Use olive oil instead of vegetable oil or butter. Tarragon is an amazing flavor for muffins. Put in onions instead of fruit. Do you like a green chilies and corn combo? Why not put in black beans for fun? Go for it.

Use his basic recipe for proportions not necessarily for ingredients. Think of the ingredients as categories to include.

Mark Bittman’s Muffins, Infinite Ways

Makes: 12 medium or 8 large muffins
Time: About 40 minutes

3 tablespoons melted butter or neutral oil, like grapeseed or corn, plus more for the muffin tin
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 egg
1 cup milk, plus more if needed 

1. Heat the oven to 375°F. Grease a 12-cup muffin tin and line it with paper or foil muffin cups if you like. 

2. Mix together the dry ingredients in a bowl. Beat together the egg, milk, and melted butter or oil in another bowl. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Using a large spoon or rubber spatula, combine the ingredients swiftly, stirring and folding rather than beating and stopping as soon as all the dry ingredients are moistened. The batter should be lumpy, not smooth, and thick but quite moist; add a little more milk or other liquid if necessary. 

3. Spoon the batter into the muffin tins, filling them about two-thirds full and handling the batter as little as  possible. (If you prefer bigger muffins, fill 8 cups almost to the top; pour 1/4 cup water into the empty cups.) Bake for about 20 minutes (about 30 minutes for larger muffins) or until nicely browned and a toothpick inserted in the center of a muffin comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes before taking them out of the tin. Serve warm.

Sometimes Bittman suggests whole wheat flour or half-whole wheat/half white. You can substitute wheat bran or wheat flour (I food process quick oats). Substitute corn meal or graham cracker crumbs for part of the flour. Look through your shelves for things to toss in. I love chia seeds, for instance. Go for the unexpected in your muffins.

To his basic batter, you can substitute honey, molasses, maple syrup, or brown sugar instead of granulated sugar. I like to add Greek yogurt in place of milk to up the protein. Of course, we all know that ripe mashed banana can replace part of the oil to make muffins less fatty. Add in some cooked quinoa or rice in lieu of some of the flour. You can always adjust the batter stiffness with more milk or yogurt.

DO NOT BE AFRAID TO PLAY WITH YOUR FOOD! Muffin-making can be highly entertaining. But you might not be able to give the recipe to someone who really likes what you baked---at least that’s true if you cook like me. And if the muffins don’t work out, well, you can always become a writer! Culinary mysteries are fun!