Tuscan Farro Soup

INGREDIENTS

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
Salt and pepper
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 cup farro*, spelt or barley
15 oz can cannellini beans
15 oz can tomatoes, chopped
6 cups stock (brodo italiano) more as necessary
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
Freshly grated Parmesan

PREPARATION

Put oil in a large, deep saucepan over medium heat; a minute later add onion, celery, carrots, a large pinch of salt and some pepper. Cook until vegetables are glossy and onion is softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add garlic, and stir; add farro*, beans, tomatoes and stock, and stir.

Bring to a boil, then adjust heat so mixture simmers steadily. Cook until farro is tender adding stock as necessary if mixture becomes too thick. Stir in parsley and basil, then cook another 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve with lots of Parmesan.

*if cooking a large batch of this soup for freezing then skip adding the farro. Add and simmer correct proportion to tender when serving.