Kale and Farro Soup (Courtesy Photo)

Martha’s Vineyard chef Catherine Walthers is somewhat of a celebrity in my humble kitchen. I was first introduced to her recipes at a recent PRK meet-up; I’ve been hooked and mesmerized ever since. Her first two cookbooks Greens Glorious Greens and Raising the Salad Bar bring fresh ideas to any cook (expert or fledgling, like myself) and you cannot imagine my excitement when her new cookbook Soups + Sides appeared on my desk.

I called her, of course. We spoke for nearly forty five minutes, covering everything from the right way to use corn in soups to the importance of having homemade stock at all times. I nervously confessed that I’m a short-cut girl and she chuckled. After reading her latest book, though, I’m a convert. Roasting-chicken-bones-for-fresh-chicken-stock, here I come.

PRK: What made you start writing cookbooks?
CW: I’ve been cooking all my life. I got a masters in Journalism for my first career and then I got laid off from the Boston Herald. I thought it might be a good time to go to cooking school.

PRK: From one precarious career to another?!
CW: (laughs) Yes. But, I realized it [cooking] was my passion. I never looked back; I would do it all over again if I had to.

PRK:  You’ve written about salads and sides in previous books–what’s different about this one?
CW: Soup has always been my first love. I’ve taught a soup class for ten years and have collected recipes for even longer. It was time to share them with more people.

PRK: What are some of the most important techniques to remember when making soup?
CW:  You really need to learn how to simmer. You don’t want to over-boil a soup because you’ll toughen the meat. If you boil without a cover, you’ll lose liquid. The ideal method for simmering is putting the top off just a tiny bit to the side to let some of the steam escape. Also, I find a good soup pot is indispensable. I really love All Clad pots because they have three layers and a thick bottom. Finally, there’s nothing like a good knife to help you make ever better soup. An 1/8 inch knife is all you need–just remember to get it sharpened!

PRK:  Can you pick two ingredients that are overlooked when making soup?
CW:  Easy. Leeks and farro, an Italian grain. Leeks have the ability to add extra flavor to almost any soup. To me, leeks and onions are a complementary pair that I typically use together, like salt and pepper. I use the whole leek–white and green parts. I also fell in love with farro while writing this book. It’s slightly chewy and gives a wonderful flavor to the broth of a soup. It creates a hearty trio the I love–vegetables, a grain and a protein.

I asked Catherine to share a recipe with readers and she sent along one of her favorites, Kale and Farro soup. Why this one?

She says: “If you’re not a kale lover, just try it in a soup. It’s an incredible vegetable in terms of your health. And, of course, this recipe has my new love–farro.”

Kale and Farro Soup
Serves 6

This is similar to an Italian vegetable soup, only better (and easier) with added nutrients from kale and a quick-cooking and delicious Italian grain called farro. A type of wheat imported from Italy, farro offers a mildly chewy, nutty flavor, similar to barley, which can be substituted if farro is unavailable. To create a vegetarian version add water instead of stock plus 2 parmesan rinds.

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 leek, all parts, rinsed and sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
8 cups chicken stock
2 large carrots (about 2 cups), sliced into half moons
2 celery stalks, diced
1 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
1/2 cup farro*
1 to 2 teaspoons salt
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with the juice
1/2 bunch (about 3 cups lightly packed) kale, stems removed, chopped
Pepper
Parmesan cheese, to taste

1. In a soup pot, heat the oil and sauté the onion over medium heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the leek and sauté until leeks are softened, about 4 minutes. Add garlic and sauté another 1 to 2 minutes. Add stock, carrots, celery, thyme, farro and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Turn heat to low and simmer soup, partially covered, for 15 minutes.

2. Stir in chopped kale and tomatoes. Bring to a boil again, turn to low and simmer a final 15 to 20 minutes, until farro and kale is tender. Taste the soup and add additional salt – I used about 2 1/2 teaspoons of kosher salt – and a few twists of pepper. Top each bowl with parmesan cheese for more depth of flavor.

• Using barley instead of farro: farro can be found in Whole Foods Market in the dried pasta section, or in an Italian market if you live near one. If you can’t find farro, use barley instead. Decrease the amount to 1/3 of a cup of barley and increase the initial cooking time to 30 minutes, for a total of about 50 minutes.

Recipe from Soups + Sides (Lake Isle Press, 2010)