Tomato and Farro Soup

Tomato and Farro Soup

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups farro, rinsed
• Fine grain sea salt
• 6 sprigs cilantro, stems and leaves separated
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 4 garlic cloves, sliced
• 2 fat leeks, white and light green parts only, rinsed well, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 3 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon chili flakes
• 3 1/4 pounds ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into wedges (or two 28 oz. cans of whole tomatoes with juices)
• 1 cup light coconut milk
• 1/2 cup slivered, blanched almonds, toasted
• Additional cilantro leaves, chopped
• Lemon wedges

DIRECTIONS:

Prepare the farro. Bring 4 1/2 half cups of water to a boil in a large pot. Add farro, 1 teaspoon sea salt and 6 cilantro stems, stirring to combine. Bring mixture back to a boil, reduce heat to low and simmer until farro is al dente (soft on the outside, some bite left on the inside, about 25 minutes). Drain farro and set aside.
 
Cook the aromatics and spices. Warm olive oil in a large, heavy-bottom pot over medium heat. Stir in sliced leeks and cook for 5 minutes. Add garlic and continue to cook until leeks are soft, but not caramelized (about 5 minutes more). Add curry powder, coriander, cumin, and chili flakes, stirring to combine. Cook until spices are fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir frequently to keep the spices from burning on the bottom of the pot.

Cook the tomatoes. Add tomato wedges and 6 cups of water, then bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer until tomatoes are fall-apart tender (about 30 minutes). Blend tomatoes into the soup until smooth using an immersion blender or in batches with a regular blender. Add half of the farro and blend until the grains are broken down and the texture is somewhat chunky. Stir in the remaining farro and season to taste with sea salt.

Garnish and serve. Ladle soup into bowls and top with coconut milk. Finish with a sprinkling of toasted almonds and chopped cilantro. Serve with lemon wedges.