Late Summer Corn and Farro Soup
Buying fresh corn at the farmers' market in Virginia is always a bit of a crap shoot. No matter how thoroughly you plow through the bins or (gently) yank down the tassels of individual ears to peek at the kernels, you never know if the ears you choose will be honey-sweet or starchy duds. In my 24 years of living here they have mostly been the latter.
This summer, though, Virginia's corn has been spectacular, crunchy and sweet and much more like the Jersey corn I grew up with ~ especially the bi-color variety ~ "butter and sugar" as my dad used to call it. So I've been buying lots of it, mostly to enjoy the classic way ~ boiled briefly and seasoned with butter and salt (do not pimp my corn on the cob with crumbled cheese or spices).
But I've also been been buying extra, cutting the kernels off the cob and adding them to salads and sautés, cornbread, and soups like this one, a late-summer farro porridge. It's both textured and creamy, thanks to a triple hit of starches from corn, potato, and cooked beans. Finished with a thread of good, robust olive oil, it makes a nourishing (and filling) one-dish supper.
The beans I used here are a variety called Peruano, or Mexican yellow beans. They have a pleasant mild flavor and are a good stand-in for cannellini beans. Freshly cooked beans, whether done on the stovetop or in the oven, are always better than canned, but of course you can use canned cannellini beans as a substitute.
If, however, you are a bean lover, as I am, check out my friend and fellow food writer Robin Mather's new online bean and legume shop, CHP Heirloom Beans, from which I purchased the Peruanos. There are plenty of varieties, many with descriptive names like Tongues of Fire, Mortgage Lifter, and Christmas Lima, along with more standard ones like fava and the aforementioned cannellini.
LATE SUMMER CORN AND FARRO SOUP
Makes 4 to 6 servings
Ingredients
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
2 small to medium carrots, cut into dice
1 small yellow onion, cut into dice
1 rib celery, diced
1 garlic clove, lightly crushed
1 medium yellow potato, peeled and cut into cubes
1 medium zucchini, cut into cubes
1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, sage, parsley)
Fine sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Kernels from 2 ears of sweet corn
1 1/2 cups cooked Peruano or cannellini beans (may use canned)
4 cups chicken broth or 2 cups broth and 2 cups water
1 piece Parmigiano-Reggiano rind
1 cup farro
Chopped mint or basil (optional)
Instructions
1: Measure the olive oil into a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot and stir in the carrots, onion, celery, and garlic clove. Set on medium-low heat and cook for 7 to 8 minutes to soften the vegetables.
2: Add the potato, zucchini, and chopped herbs, and season with 1 teaspoon salt and a little pepper. Cook, stirring often, for another 10 minutes or so to soften the potato and zucchini.
3: Stir in corn kernels and the beans (plus a little of their cooking liquid or liquid from the can). Pour in the broth/water and raise the heat to medium-high. Toss in the parmigiano rind. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently (lower heat if necessary) until the vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes.
4. While the soup cooks, rinse the farro in a colander and place it in a pot with water to cover by 1 inch. Add 2 pinches of salt and set over medium-high heat. Bring the water to a boil and skim any foam that appears on the surface. Lower the heat and cook at a gentle boil for about 20 minutes, until the farro is al dente. Drain.
5. Stir the farro into the soup and cook until it is tender and the soup has thickened. Add more broth or water if the soup becomes too thick and adjust the seasoning with more salt or pepper as needed.
6. Remove from the heat and stir in the mint or basil. Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish each with a drizzle of good olive oil.