Chicken And Farro Soup

Chicken Farro Soup is a health soup made with an ancient Italian grain called Farro.  Pearled Farro looks like pearled barley but cooks in 1/3 of the time.  This is a whole grain is loaded with protein and fiber and cooks in about 20 minutes.  Next time you are at Costco or your local grocery store look for this ancient Italian grain.  This chicken and farro soup is a hardy soup so try cooking some up the next time it is cold outside.

Chicken And Farro Soup
Serves:  6

2 carrots, peeled and small diced
2 celery stalks, cleaned and diced small
1/2 sweet onion, peeled and small diced
3 tablespoons whole wheat wheat flour, King Arthur's
1/2 cup tomato sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cooked chicken carcass with some meat left on
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning, like Mc Cormick's
6 cups cold water
1 cup pearled Farro
1 1/2 cups Multi-grain bow tie pasta, like Barilla's

1. In a large stock pot on medium high heat, saute the diced onion, celery and carrots for 2 minutes in the olive oil.  Sprinkle  and coat the vegetables with the flour and continue to cook for 2 minutes.  Add the cold water, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and cooked chicken carcass with meat to the vegetables and cover the pot with a lid.  Bring the soup up to a simmer over medium high heat then lower the temperature to low and cook for 1 hour.  Remove the chicken meat from the bones and add it back into the soup.  Add 1/4 cup of cooked farro and 1/4 cup of bow tie pasta to a a large bowl.  Ladle the chicken and vegetable stock over the  pasta and farro.  Serve hot with crackers or bread.

2.  In a small pan with a lid boil 3 cups of salted water then add 1 cup of pearled Farro.  Reduce the heat and cook on low, covered for 20 minutes or until tender.  Add to hot soup.

3. In a small pan with a lid,  bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil.  Add one 1 1/2 cups of bow tie pasta to the boiling water and turn it down to low.  Cook the pasta for 12 minutes or until tender.  Add to hot soup.