Garfagnina soup is a soup of Tuscan origin.
It is a typical first course of Garfagnana, a valley that includes the province of Lucca.
A few years ago I happened to visit this area of Tuscany and I loved it both for the magnificent places and for the excellent cuisine.
If you don’t know it, it is a recipe that I recommend you try 🙂
It is a soup prepared with a sauté of vegetables, addition of legumes, grains, and lard.
I prepared it last night and enjoyed it for dinner.
It is excellent served with croutons or slices of bread.
I suggest using Garfagnana spelt, which is a regional excellence as it holds the IGP mark.
If you really can’t find it, you can use the regular spelt available in the market.
If you are vegetarian, you can omit the lard.
You can use either fresh borlotti beans or dried borlotti beans.
If you use dried borlotti beans, you need 7 oz and soak them for at least 12 hours.
If you use fresh borlotti beans, use 1 lb and soaking is not necessary.
I used dried ones because fresh ones are not available in this period.
Instead of hulled spelt, you can use pearled spelt, and in this case, you don’t need to soak it, and it cooks in about 30 minutes.
I didn’t use salt because it was already present in the vegetable broth.
P.S.: Besides this delicious soup, also try the:
- Difficulty: Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 12 Hours
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 4 people
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Autumn, Winter
Ingredients for Garfagnina Soup
- 7 oz hulled spelt
- 7 oz dried borlotti beans
- 1.8 oz lard
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 clove garlic
- 1 onion
- 1 carrot
- 1 celery stalk
- as needed vegetable broth
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil (+ a drizzle of raw oil)
- 1 sprig rosemary
- 3 leaves sage
- as needed pepper
Tools
- 1 Bowl
- 1 Pot
- 1 Chopper
- 1 Knife
- 1 Wooden spoon
Steps for Garfagnina Soup
In a bowl, pour the borlotti beans and spelt with water and soak them for at least 12 hours.
Chop the garlic, celery, carrot, onion, rosemary, sage with the lard.
In a large pot, heat the oil, pour the chopped vegetables, aromatic herbs, and lard.
After a few minutes, add the borlotti beans, spelt, chopped tomatoes, and vegetable broth.
Cover with a lid and continue cooking for an hour or an hour and 15 minutes, adding more vegetable broth if necessary.
Add pepper to taste and at the end of cooking, add a drizzle of oil.
Immediately serve the Garfagnina soup in individual bowls.
Want to stay updated on the latest news? Visit my Facebook page and become a fan. You can also find me on Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest
