Ingredients for 6 persons:

• 200 gr. spelt
• 300 gr.  pinto beans
• 200 gr. cannellini beans
• 2 stalks of celery
• 2 carrots
• 2 potatoes
• 1 little cube of ham
• 1 stock cube
• 1 garlic clove
• extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper

Preparation: Put all the beans (Cannellini and Pinto) in a pot . They have been previously soaked in cold water;  add carrots, celery, potatoes, the piece of ham and garlic. Cover everything with water and boil for about two hours; add salt, pepper and the stock cube. After the cooking time, mince all with a vegetable mill and put on fire. Add the previously washed spelt and simmer for about 20 minutes. Serve in the dish with a drizzle of olive oil.

Curiousity:

Spelt (Farro) of Garfagnana: history, cultivation and usage :

The cultivation of spelt is documented as far back as 7000 BC in Syria and Mesopotamia. It was used by the Assyrians and Egyptians as a staple food and then, later, by the Romans who used spelt for the preparation of flour as base of a soft polenta .
From time immemorial, the Garfagnana spelt was always grown with the same formula: the use of suitable land, characterized by few nutrients, in an altitude range between 300 and 1000 meters above sea level . The sowing is done in autumn by using a seed which is derivated from a native species of “Triticum dicoccum”. The cultivation is done in a completely natural way without the use of chemical fertilizers or pesticides. The harvest process is done in the summer . The spelt grains are then cleaned by separating the noble part of the fruit from natural residues . The Garfagnana spelt (Protected Geographical Status since 1996), for its features, is a type of spelt perfectly distinguishable from other similar products coming from other places.

It’s perfect to prepare soups, quiches, salads, first courses with champignons. It can be a base for flour production for the preparation of other products such as pasta, bread, cookies, etc. … Recently, local entrepreneurs have also used spelt for the production of an excellent dark beer (Petrognola beer).