Having a cold is no fun. I wanted some nice warm soup to make me feel better, and remembered a recipe I came across on Smitten Kitchen. It has two of my favorite things- mushrooms and farro! It came out great and was exactly what I needed. I followed the recipe for the most part but tweaked a few things as I cooked.

Ingredients:
(Recipe adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1/3 cup dried mushrooms (I used porcini)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium carrot, diced
Two garlic cloves, minced
1 pound mushrooms (I used cremini and they were great)
1/2 cup farro
4 cups low sodium beef broth (recipe called for 6 but I wanted less broth and more filling)
1/4 cup sherry wine for cooking
2 tablespoons tomato paste
Red pepper flakes
Salt and pepper

First, get all of your prep out of the way. I love grabbing my already chopped bowls of ingredients and just throwing them in. I also find that by doing this you don’t run into timing issues where something is overcooking while you’re chopping away!

Boil some water and pour 1 cup over your dried mushrooms. Let them soak for 20mins. While you wait, chop your onions, mushrooms, and carrots.

Heat your oil over medium heat. Add the onions and carrots. Cook until onions are translucent, about 5-10 mins.

Add your fresh mushrooms and let them cook until they begin to release some liquid. About 5-10 minutes. Add the farro and cook about 10 minutes until it softens a bit. Next add your beef broth, followed by the chopped (soaked) mushrooms and the mushroom water. Lastly, add the tomato paste then season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes to taste.

Simmer for 40 minutes, or until the farro is fully cooked. Then enjoy!