Spring

Spring Pea and Farro Soup

by:
May 20, 2013
4
3 Ratings
Spring Pea and Farro Soup
Photo by Tom Hirschfeld/bonafidefarmfood.com
  • Serves 4
Author Notes

I know most people think of chilly fall days when they hear pea soup. Not this version. It is decidedly a spring soup and if you can lay your hands on fresh peas in the shell all the better. Frozen peas work but it is not at all the same, in fact, if I didn't have fresh peas I would use sugar snaps or snow peas.

Note: I cook farro really simply. I put it in a pot of lightly salted water. The water covers the grains by at least three inches. I bring it to a boil, boil two minutes then turn off the heat and cover the pot. I then let the pot sit on the stove for two hours but no longer then three. I drain it and now it is al dente. A half cup of dry will make one cup or more of cooked farro. —thirschfeld

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/2 cup pancetta, small dice
  • 2 teaspoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup yellow onion, trimmed, peeled and small dice
  • 4 cups beef stock
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh peas
  • 1 cup cooked farro or brown rice, see note in headnote
  • kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
  • lots of fresh ground black pepper
  • flat leaf parsley, minced
Directions
  1. Add the butter and the pancetta to a pan over medium heat. Render the pancetta until it just starts to get crispy while being careful not to burn the butter. You may need to reduce the heat to do this but be patient.
  2. Add the onions, season them with salt and pepper. Now continue cooking the onions, stirring occasionally, till they are soft.
  3. Add the broth and farro. Turn the heat up if you need to and bring the pot to a boil. Add the peas, taste the broth and season it as necessary.
  4. Add the parsley and cook the soup until the peas are just tender. Be careful not to overcook the peas.
  5. Serve immediately garnishing the soup with more fresh ground black pepper.
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  • Scott Basye
    Scott Basye
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  • Christian White Stanton
    Christian White Stanton
  • k.woody
    k.woody
  • thirschfeld
    thirschfeld

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6 Reviews

Scott B.
Scott B. May 13, 2016
This was great - I added some grated parm reg and drizzled it with the really good virgin olive oil to finish.
 
Transcendancing
Transcendancing January 22, 2016
I really enjoyed this recipe - I tweaked it slightly - I only had chicken stock on hand, and I added a touch of apple cider vinegar and about 1/2 cup of white wine which lifted the overall flavour profile. This was perfect for a Melbourne rainy summer's day that was humid but not actually at all hot. Loved it!
 
Christian W.
Christian W. August 13, 2014
When do you add the pancetta back in?
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld August 13, 2014
You never take it out of the pan
 
k.woody
k.woody May 21, 2013
Wow! Never heard of cooking farro that way - I'll have to try it. I am a big fan of farro. Do you typically make your own beef stock for something like this? I usually shy away from buying it at the store, but I don't have any experience making my own at home. Thanks for sharing!
 
thirschfeld
thirschfeld May 21, 2013
k.woody I cook almost all grains this way. Just to be clear the farro I use is call piccolo farro, there are different types and sizes, is the smallest classified as farro. I get mine from Anson Mills so if you are a fan of farro you will be a fan of it.