Posted by Lynda Balslev
This is a Sunday soup, a perfect antidote to a social weekend with big meals and late evenings. Restorative, healthy, and nourishing, it’s a perfect time-out meal to enjoy on a relaxed and peaceful day, with no reservations and no make-up on the agenda. I used leftover chicken from a roast, but you can easily use a rotisserie chicken from your local store or farmer’s market.
Chicken and Farro Soup with Carrots and Shiitakes
Don’t leave out the shiitakes – they impart a luscious umami flavor to the stock. Barley may be substituted for the farro. Serves 4.
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, sliced 1/4 inch thick
6 ounces shiitake mushrooms, trimmed, halved if large
5 cups chicken stock
1/2 cup farro or pearl barley
1 bay leaf
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup chopped Italian flat leaf parsley
Heat the oil in a soup pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté until it softens without coloring, about 3 minutes. Add the carrots and mushrooms. Sauté until the carrots brighten in color and the mushrooms begin to release their juices, about 3 minutes. Add the stock, farro, bay leaf, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer until the farro is tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the chicken and top off with additional stock if needed. Simmer until the chicken is heated through. Ladle into bowls. Serve hot, garnished with parsley.
Your post made me smile! I have the exact same frame of mind when a weekend full of commitments (or a trip) ends – I cannot wait to change to some home cooking, no excesses, just awesome SIMPLE food.
This soup with farro seems perfect for Fall – my husband LOVES shiitake mushrooms, by the way – he would love this
Looks wonderfully light and flavorful.
What a exciting post! A reminder to slow down and enjoy the weekend and still eat well with irresistible flavor can be found in a thoughtful, yet simple recipe.
I LOVE the idea of using farro. We often use barley, and love farro as a side dish, but have never thought to use it in soup. Bravo!
Light, healthy and refined tasting! A wonderful soup.
cheers,
Rosa
Gorgeous shot, Lynda, the colors really pop! Could totally go for a bowl of this right now for lunch on a grey, drizzling day.
This looks like such a filling but healthy dinner!
AMAZING!!! After seeing this I started looking online for a cheap place to buy shiitake mushrooms. I found a site called http://wholeearthharvest.com/ That sells organic shiitake mushrooms online for pretty cheap. Now UPS is coming and I will be making this very soon. Thank you for the great recipe. Can’t wait to try!