Garfagnana spelt soup
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).