When was the last time you sat down and ate a meal with 100% of your attention? I don't just mean experiencing the flavors and aromas coming from the plate in front of you, but also the textures, colors, sounds and your sense of satiety. How often do you consider how and who prepared the food or question how and where the food was grown or raised, etc....
Next time you sit down to a meal alone, try this:
Step 1: Turn of all electronics. Disconnect.
Step 2: Take a moment to really look at, and smell, the food on your plate.
Step 3: Take a small-medium sized bite, put down your utensil, and chew your food at least 20 times (try this once with your eyes closed).
Step 4: Repeat Step 3 until you notice the first sensation of being full.
Step 5: Stop eating. Be grateful for the food and experience.
Wild Mushroom and Kale Soup with Toasted Farro
- dehydrated wild mushroom mix (porcini, morel, chanterelle, etc...)
- 10-15 medium sized cremini mushrooms
- 2 stalks of celery
- 1 cup of farro
- 2 cups of vegetable stock
- 1 bunch of trimmed kale
- 1 Medium sized yellow onion
- 3 cloves of garlic
- 2 Tbs of olive oil (or avocado oil)
- 2 Tbs of flour (brown rice flour for gluten-free).
- Sherry Vinegar (or fresh lemon juice)
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 bunch of thyme
- Salt and Pepper
Reconstitute dehydrated mushrooms by adding hot water and covering about 15-20 min. Saute chopped onion in olive oil over medium heat for about 8 minutes. Add chopped cremini mushrooms, chopped garlic, diced celery and bay leaves to pot and saute an additional 5 minutes or until garlic starts to brown. Add flour and stir to combine. Strain re-hydrated mushrooms and add reserved mushroom liquid to the pot (about 1-2 cups). * Watch out for sand and dirt from the bottom of the settled mushroom liquid. Add 2 Tbs of fresh thyme leaves and vegetable stock and cook covered for about 20 min on medium-low heat. Add uncooked farro to a dry pan over medium-high heat and toast until fragrant. *Keep tossing the pan so you don't burn the grains. Bring a pot of water to the boil. Salt well and add toasted farro. Cook until al dente (or desired texture) and drain. Season soup with 1-2 Tbs of lemon juice or sherry vinegar and salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste. Add chopped kale and cook an additional 5 min or so. Remove bay leaves and serve.
To plate, ladle soup in a bowl, add a dallop of farro in the center, and garnish with fresh thyme leaves. A little truffle oil never hurt nobody either. Buon Appetito.
