Cabbage and Kale Soup with Farro

We started the New Year out right with healthy greens and whole grains. This recipe for Cabbage and Kale Soup with Farro comes from Food&Wine and is a real winner! Nutty from the farro, a little savory and bitter from the greens and rich from a nice hunk of parmesan cheese. Plenty of umami here — and it’s really healthy, too.

Like all good recipes, you start with bacon. But this is Italian bacon, so I kid myself by pretending there’s less fat. It also comes pre-diced in this lovely little package, and that makes life a lot easier:

A nice bag of local farro:

Mise en place all set to go:

The recipe calls for red Russian kale, but I used what I had, the curly kale:

Saute pancetta:

Add onions and garlic:

Add anchovy filets (more umami, anchovy-haters, you won’t even know they’re there):

So saute those:

Basically until they disappear. The only thing you can see left here is a tiny little nugget at about 1 p.m. in the center of the pan:

Next add the farro, and toast it a little bit:

Next add the greens:

Stir those babies up:

Now it’s time for the broth. I used one quart homemade and one quart store-bought:

In you go:

Then a big hunk of parmesan rind:

And your herbs, rosemary and thyme:

Let simmer for an hour or so, and voila. Garnish with grated parm:

Delishy!

Cabbage-and-Kale Soup with Farro

Recipe by Melissa Perello

“I love a really flavorful pot of greens,” says Melissa Perello. For this kale-and-cabbage soup, she uses just a little bit of pancetta and a Parmesan-cheese rind to give the broth a rich flavor. “It’s definitely the kind of dish that tastes even better the next day,” she says.

Pairing Suggestion Choose a dry, aromatic white from France’s Alsace region.

Buzz up!

Cabbage-and-Kale Soup with Farro

Active: 30 minutes; Total time: 1 hour 30 minutes; Servings: 6

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
One 2-ounce piece pancetta, finely diced
1 medium onion, finely diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 ounce anchovy paste (4 teaspoons) or 4 anchovy fillets
1 1/4 cup farro
1/2 head Savoy cabbage—tough stems discarded, leaves torn into large pieces
1/2 bunch red Russian kale, stems discarded
2 quarts chicken stock or low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup water
6 thyme sprigs
1 small rosemary sprig
1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano rind plus 3 tablespoons grated cheese
Salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Preheat the oven to 350°. In an enameled cast-iron casserole, heat the oil. Add the pancetta and cook over moderate heat until the fat is rendered, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic and cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add the anchovy paste and cook for 30 seconds. Add the farro and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add the cabbage and kale and cook, stirring, until just wilted.

Add the chicken stock, water, thyme and rosemary sprigs and cheese rind and bring to a simmer. Cover the soup, transfer to the oven and cook for about 1 hour, until the farro and greens are tender. Alternatively, simmer the soup over moderate heat for 1 hour. Season the soup with salt and pepper. Transfer the soup to bowls, garnish the soup with the parsley and grated cheese and serve.

The soup can be refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat gently.

One Serving 480 cal, 14 gm fat, 3.9 gm sat fat, 29 gm carb, 7 gm fiber.