Farro and Lentil Soup

This past winter I have experimented with lentil recipes.  This was one of them that I tried.  I have mixed feelings about lentils as sometimes I really like them and sometimes they just aren't very good.  This recipe definitely falls into the very good category.  It is one of the reasons I still have lentils in my house.  I want to have more recipes that make me like lentils, so I can make more soups/dishes with them as I find them filling, tasty and healthy.  The other part of this recipe that I like is the farro.  I have been obsessed with farro for more than a year and I am always happy to integrate it into recipes which I didn't have to do for this one.

This soup is based off a recipe in Bough, Borrowed and Stolen by Allegra McEvedy.  This is quite an interesting cookbooks as each chapter focuses on a different part of the world where she traveled to and wanted to replicated in this book.  I like it as it has several recipes for a place and because I like to cook different and interesting recipes from around the world.

Farro and Lentil Soup
5 oz. smoked bacon, cut into pieces (mine were about 1/4 inch thick)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, diced finely
2 sticks of celery, roughly chopped (with leaves)
3 sprigs fresh rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 generous pinch (or two) of red pepper flakes
6 oz. lentils (small lentils)
3 oz. farro
2 cups chicken stock
salt and pepper to taste

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan, then add the onions and bacon.  Put on a lid and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  After a minute or two, add the celery, rosemary, garlic, red pepper flakes and a pinch or two of salt.  Meanwhile, rinse the lentils and farro and then add them to the saucepan.  After about 2 minutes, add the chicken stock.  Stir everything together and place the lid on (allowing for steam to escape).  Bring the mixture to a simmer.  After about 20-30 minutes your lentils and farro should be cooked.  Remove half the soup and place in a blender (to thicken the soup) and return it to the saucepan.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Let it simmer for another 5 minutes (lid on, but allowing for steam to escape).  Serve with a drizzle of good quality olive oil on top.

Rosemary Pork Kebabs

Summer is now almost at it's close, but we still have warm days which makes grilling worth the effort for the flavor that it imparts.  Grilling is a sign of summer to me, but fortunately we do get out the grill from time to time throughout the year.  The grilled item I like most is grilled veggies, but what is better than marinated meat to give it some variety.  Particularly, I love grilled Roma tomatoes, though I have been known to grill any sort that is still firm enough to last through a grilling.  This recipe is based off one in Bought, Borrowed and Stolen by McEvedy.  The pork in this recipe soaks up the rosemary flavor in which it is marinated.  My rosemary sticks were not thick enough to actually grill the meat on, but I have seen a number of people to use that technique this summer.  If you want your veggies to have a little more flavor you can brush them with Italian dressing or I usually use olive oil and whatever spices I am in the mood for at the time.  Enjoy the last days of grilling.

Rosemary Pork Kebabs with vegetables
3 stems of rosemary, leaves removed and finely chopped
pork tenderloin (about 12-14 oz.), trimmed
olive oil
5-6 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
sourdough or ciabatta bread (I used slightly stale homemade sourdough bread)
salt and pepper
other veggies to add to your skewers (onions, zucchini, bell peppers, potatoes, mushrooms)

Cut the tenderloin into cubes about an inch by an inch and marinate in half the chopped rosemary and half the cloves of chopped garlic in olive oil for at least an hour....but longer is better.  (I usually pour a few tablespoon of olive oil in the bottom of the dish I am going to use.  Then I add the rosemary and garlic and mix.  Next take the meat and put in the olive oil mixture.  If it need more olive oil so all the meat can be coated, then add more.  Cover and marinate.)

Preheat your grill.  Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan.  Cut the sourdough into 1 inch cubes.  Fry the rest of the garlic and rosemary leaves in oil and then dip pieces of bread into the olive oil.  Season with salt.  (Season the meat with salt too.)  Once he bread is lightly fried, remove from heat and put together the skewers to grill.  Grill until the pork reaches 145 F.  Remove and serve with lemon or/and a side salad.