Rinku from Cooking in Westchester is Weekend Herb Blogging's host this week. She has invited us into her creative and spicy kitchen in New York's Westchester County next week to view the round-up of WHB # 116.




The recipe I'm contributing is a soup that I made for an Italian dinner party with the farro that I brought back from Milan in November. If you remember, farro is an ancient wheat variety that is a traditional ingredient in Italy, mainly in Tuscany and Umbria.



This soup has a wonderful texture and very aromatic flavor due to the addition of marjoram, one of my favorite herbs. It is often mistaken for oregano, however its flavor is sweeter, rounder and more delicate. I prefer it in many dishes and cannot imagine replacing it with oregano in this soup. A small jar of marjoram will last a year and once you're seduced by its fragrance and flavor, you'll be hooked!

The recipe is adapted from Mediterranean Grains and Greens by Paula Wolfert.

Creamy Farro and Chickpea Soup
serves 4

3/4 cup dried chickpeas, soaked in water overnight
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 imported bay leaves
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus more for garnish
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 tablespoon chopped prosciutto
1 tablespoon minced celery
3/4 cup farro or hulled barley, rinsed, then soaked in water overnight
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 teaspoon dried marjoram
2 pinches freshly grated nutmeg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Freshly chopped flat leaf parsley, for garnish.

1. Drain chickpeas, and place in a medium earthenware pan or saucepan. Cover with plenty of cold water, and bring to a boil. Add sea salt and bay leaves. Reduce heat, and cook, covered, until very soft, about 1 1/2 hours.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, heat olive oil and gently cook onion, prosciutto and celery for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are soft but not brown. Drain farro, and add it along with the chicken broth, marjoram and nutmeg to the onion mixture. Cook, partially covered, for about 1 hour.

3. Drain chickpeas, reserving the cooking liquid. Discard bay leaves. In a food processor, puree chickpeas with 1 cup of the reserved liquid. Add pureed chickpeas to the farro mixture; if necessary, add more of the cooking liquid from the chickpeas to achieve the consistency of a creamy soup. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper. Wait 10 minutes before serving, and sprinkle each portion with chopped parsley and a drizzle of olive oil.