I Am A Nurturer - Feeding the Heart and the Body

"Time flies when you are having fun!"  It also flies when you are immersed in problems and life's issues.  I cannot believe I have not posted anything since January 16th.  I admit to trying to collect some thoughts and put fingers to keyboard, but all that came forth sounded pathetic and I couldn't stand to hear myself whine.

Dare I say that maybe things are beginning to settle down?  My mother has returned home from the Skilled Nursing Center.  We have created a simple, probably fragile, support system around her composed of family, friends, and Medicare Home Health personnel.  The refrigerator is stocked, the pills are sorted and labeled, the medical equipment set up.  While mom is still quite weak, she is able to do more for herself and most of all, she is where she wants to be...home.

Mom talking to her sister, Joan, reading the paper and petting Noel...HOME!

Today it is raining and there is a chill in the air and the most nurturing thing I could think of doing is making a pot of soup!  There is something about the smell of simmering soup that says "you can relax, you can settle in, you are safe."  There is something about the chopping and dicing of vegetables retrieved from your garden that is meditative.  It is an activity that allows you to feel some sense of control in a world that may seem to have gone haywire!  It is what I turn to when I am sick...or anxious.   A couple of years ago, my favorite store, Trader Joe's, carried a package of Spelt with Red and Green Bell Peppers.

The discontinued product!!

I loved it and used it as a base for a soup.  Of course, as with anything I love from Trader Joe's, they decided to stop carrying it.   But I was crafty enough to anticipate such a happening and I purchased a case of it that I have protected like the family jewels, using occasionally when my heart and my stomach need nurturing.  This particular soup nurtures my heart because it transport me back to my "motherland,"  Italy!  One bite and I am sitting in a small country home in Umbria, with the smell of bread toasting on an open fireplace grill.

The Umbrian home we visited on an OAT trip in 2004

I feel safe and embraced by my heritage.  Spelt is a ancient grain of certain wheat species. It is sometimes  called Farro, and was the standard ration to feed the Roman Legions in Italy long ago.  Experts debate whether farro and spelt are the same thing but in any case they are very similar. It is sold dry and some packages recommend soaking overnight. Using this package from TJ's, I do not soak it, but cook it directly. I like it to have a firm bite to it.

Minestrone Con Farro Soup

Here is my recipe for Minestrone Con Farro:

Ingredients:
2 cans cannellini beans
1 1/2 cups of farro/spelt
5 cups of water or broth
4 T olive oil
1 onion chopped
2 links Italian sausage (optional)
2 cloves garlic chopped
4 fresh sage leaves
3 carrots thinly sliced
3 celery stalks chopped
2 T tomato paste mixed in 1 cup of water
3 cups Kale, Savoy Cabbage or Swiss Chard chopped (my favorite green is Cavelo Nero Kale)
1 piece about 2 inches in size of the heel of a piece of hard Italian cheese (like parmagiano)  This IS the secret ingredient that give the soup a fantastic flavor!

Directions:
1. Bring liquid to boil, add spelt/farro, bring to a simmer and cook until the grains are tender but still slightly firm.  With the farro I use, this takes about 20 minutes.

2. In a large skillet, saute onion, sausage, celery and sage in the live oil until it begins to caramelize. Add carrots, celery tomato paste and simmer for 10 minutes.

3. Add vegetables, Kale, and beans to the farro and cook for 15 minutes more stirring occasionally.  If needed to keep the soupy consistency add boiling water.  Salt and pepper to taste.

Drizzle with olive oil and serve with grated cheese....and a glass of vino rosso!!!

Buon appetito a tutti!!