Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or safflower oil

1 large onion, chopped

5 cloves of garlic, minced

2 stalks of celery, diced

2 carrots, diced

2 tablespoons of tomato paste

5 cups water or vegetable stock ( or half of each)

3 cups sliced beets, tops removed, not peeled

1/2 tablespoon fresh or dried dill

salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

1/2 cup  Bluebird’s split emmer farro

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 lemon, zest, fine

Toppings

sour cream or plain yogurt (optional)

parsley sprig

hard-boiled egg, sliced

Method

Heat a heavy soup pot over medium heat. Add the oil and onion, stir, cover, and sweat the onion until soft. Add the garlic, celery, and carrots and cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add the tomato paste and mix well, continuing to cook for another minute.

Gradually add the water or stock, beets, and dill. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes.  While the soup is cooking, in a separate small pan add 1/2 cup of split emmer farro to 1 1/2 cups of water.  Simmer on low for 20 minutes, covered, until moisture is gone.

Puree 1 cup of the soup with the split emmer farro, lemon juice, and zest. Stir back into the soup pot. Add salt to taste. Serve with a dollop of sour cream or plain yogurt if desired. Garnish each serving with parsley and sliced hard boil egg.

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