THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2021
www.italoamericano.org
30
L'Italo-Americano
parboiled (pearled) so does
not require soaking. Both
f a r r o a n d l e n t i l s f r o m
Castelluccio cook in 30 min-
utes, so I cook them together.
However, please check the
cooking directions of your
i n g r e d i e n t s a n d a d j u s t i f
needed.
Ingredients (Serves 8)
• 1 large onion, sliced thin-
ly
• 2 tablespoons extra-vir-
gin olive oil
• 1 - 2 t e a s p o o n s g r a t e d
fresh ginger
• 250 g (1 cup) small green
whole lentils
• 250 g (1 cup) farro
• 2 tablespoon parsley,
finely
chopped
• 1 lt. (4 cups) hot water or
stock
• 1 l a r g e g a r l i c c l o v e ,
halved lengthwise
• 2 slice toasted Italian
crusty bread
• 2 t a b l e s p o o n f r e s h l y
grated Parmesan or Pecorino
In a large, heavy stock pot
soften the onion in olive oil
over a moderate heat, stir-
ring occasionally, until a pale
golden color. Add the ginger
and stir for 1 minute. Add the
lentils and spelt, water or
stock and cover. Simmer over
a low heat, stirring occasion-
ally, until the soup has thick-
ened and the lentils are soft
but still retain their shape.
This will take about half an
hour.
Season the soup with half
a teaspoon of salt and a twist
or two of black pepper.
At this stage, the cooled
soup can be frozen for later
use. When ready to serve,
defrost, add some water – it
w i l l b e q u i t e s o l i d – a n d
allow to simmer.To serve,
t o a s t t h e s l i c e s o f c r u s t y
bread, rub with the cut side
of a garlic clove and then
dice into small cubes. Ladle
the soup into bowls and scat-
ter the chopped parsley and
the bread cubes over each
bowl. Drizzle with a teaspoon
of good extra-virgin olive oil
a n d s p r i n k l e w i t h g r a t e d
cheese. Serve immediately.
L e t i z i a M a t t i a c c i i s a
cookbook author and owner
of Alla Madonna del Piatto
C o o k i n g S c h o o l a n d
A g r i t u r i s m o i n A s s i s i ,
U m b r i a , h t t p s : / / i n c a m -
pagna.com. This recipe has
been previously published in
M r s . M a t t i a c c i c o o k b o o k
entitled "A Kitchen with a
View."
"Farro was so important, that a marriage ceremony named
confarreatio was exclusively reserved to patricians"
Continued from page 28
A basket of typical Umbrian produce, including lentils, wild peas, chickpeeas and beans (Photo courtesy of Letizia Mattiacci)
The beautiful colors of the Castelluccio area (Photo courtesy of Letizia Mattiacci) Farro was known and used by the Romans (Photo: Mark Skalny/Dreamstime)
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