Cooking with Wolfert

We cooked a dinner using two different Paula Wolfert recipes from two of her excellent cookbooks.

We started by making a delicious thick and rich soup: Creamy Farro and Chickpea Soup (Italy) from Mediterranean Grains and Greens by Paula Wolfert. Paula is one of those amazing cookbook writers that has never been a professional chief or owned a restaurant. She is a scholar of recipes, especially from the Mediterranean region. The recipes she collects are an inspiration to us. This soup is a perfect example of a country style soup. You could imagine having a bowl of this soup on a cold winter day and then going out to work in the fields.

We followed the soup course with Expatriate Roast Chicken with Lemon and Olives from The Slow Mediterranean Kitchen by Paula Wolfert. It is absolutely one of our favorite chicken dishes. It is very moist and I love the taste of preserved lemons and olives. You can find the recipe in our blog of Aug 2, 2008. Click the date to get the recipe.

After eating this delicious chicken, then having it again for leftovers, we kept all of the bones and used them to make a Chicken Stock which we froze for future use.

Creamy Farro and Chickpea Soup (Italy)

Mediterranean Grains and Greens

Paula Wolfert

Farro is Farro," says Ronaldo Bellacamda, an importer of the Tuscan cereal grain, by which he means it's a specific type of polished grain (Triticum dicoccum Schubler) and not, as some people will tell you, a "kind" of spelt or a "kind" of something else.

Here's how Suzanne Hamlin put it in the New Tork Times: "A grain of farro looks and tastes some­what like a lighter brown rice. It has a complex nutty taste with undertones of oats and barley. But lacking the heaviness of many whole wheat grains, farro tastes more elegant than earnest."

Yes if you must, you may substitute hulled barley; but if you do, please remember: don't soak it overnight.

¾      cup dried chickpeas

¾      cup farro or hulled barley

½      teaspoon sea salt        '

2       imported bay leaves

3       tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more for garnish

½      cup chopped onion

4       oz. chopped prosciutto

1       tablespoon minced celery

1       quart homemade chicken stock

½      teaspoon dried marjoram

2       whiffs of freshly grated nutmeg

Freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped flat-leaf parsley for garnish

1.   Pick over the chickpeas and soak them in water to cover overnight. Rinse the farro and soak in water to cover overnight.

2.   Drain the chickpeas and place in earthenware, if possible, (beans cook more evenly in clay), cover with plenty of cold water, and bring them to a boil. Add the salt and bay leaves. Reduce heat and cook, covered, until very soft, about 1-1/2 hours.

3.   Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and gently cook the onion, prosciutto, and celery for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft but not brown. Drain the farro and add it along with the stock, marjoram, and nutmeg to the onions and cook, partially covered, for about 1 hour.

4.   Drain the chickpeas, discard the bay leaves, and reserve the cooking liquid. Puree the chickpeas with 1 cup reserved liquid in a food processor. Add pureed chickpeas to the farro and, if necessary, additional chickpea cooking liquid 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.