As the wood stove chugs away the chilly days, the wood stove top is perfect for simmering soups like Borlotti/Farro soup. The speckled beans and the oldest wheat variety ever cultivated create a delicious meal.

Borlotti/Farro Soup  (4 – 6 servings)

Ingredients:
(Note: all quantities are approximate)
2 C. Farro
2 C. Dried borlotti beans
1 to 1 ½ C. Tomato sauce
2 Slices diced prosciutto
Extra virgin olive oil, q. b.
Salt, q.b.
Pepper, q.b.
1 Medium-sized onion
Leafy part of celery stalk
1 Clove garlic
4-5 Sage leaves
2-3 Tbsp. Finely-diced, fresh marjoram

Directions:
Soak the borlotti beans overnight, at least 12 hrs. The next morning, drain then add 1-1 ½ qts. water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about two hours. Salt beans during the last 10 minutes of cooking using coarse salt – about 1 Tbsp. Dice prosciutto. Cover prosciutto bits with water then heat for about 10 minutes to tenderize.
Heat olive oil in sauce pan and add diced onion. Add celery tips. Add diced prosciutto, a few sage leaves, the marjoram and garlic. Simmer gently about 10 minutes and when ingredients are golden, add tomato sauce, salt and pepper and simmer about 10 minutes. When borlotti beans are close to tender, puree’ about 2/3 of the beans. Add pureed beans to the tomato sauce mixture and simmer. Set aside remaining beans, not pureed, to add later. Wash farro. Put in saucepan and add water: double the amount of water to the farro – for 2 C. of farro, 4 C. of water. Bring to a boil and then simmer (about 30 mins.) until the water is absorbed. Drain and add farro to the borlotti beans in tomato sauce. Simmer soup mixture about 30 mins. and then add remaining borlotti which had not been pureed. Serve. We always love bruschetta as a side dish to this tasty soup. We often toast bread on our wood stove top on chilly nights.

Buon appetito!