Free In the Hands of a Chef by Jody Adams

If the liquid evaporates below the level of the farro, add more water. When the farro is done, the soup base should be thick but not pasty.
    3. Meanwhile, preheat the broiler. Toss the split plum tomatoes with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes cut side down on a sheet pan and broil until they’re browned and tender, about 15 minutes. Put the tomatoes through a food mill to get rid of their skins and seeds, or purée them in a food processor, then strain the purée to remove the skin and seeds.
    4. Add the tomato purée to the soup base and cook over medium heat for 20 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Remove the bay leaves and any cheese rinds.
    5. Ladle the soup into warm bowls. Garnish each bowl with the diced tomatoes, peperoncini, and basil. Add a light grating of Parmesan, if desired, and then drizzle each serving with extra virgin olive oil.
    HOW TO PEEL TOMATOES
    I n a perfect world, tomatoes would be skinless, but until then it’s up to you to peel them. Begin by bringing a pot of unsalted water to a boil. The pot should be large enough to hold as many tomatoes as you’re going to peel. While the water heats, fill a bowl with ice water. Cut a shallow X in the base of each tomato, just deep enough to break the skin without slicing into the flesh. Blanch the tomatoes in boiling water for a scant 10 seconds, long enough to loosen the skins without cooking the flesh. Using a slotted spoon, immediately transfer the blanched tomatoes to the bowl of ice water. Let them cool for a minute, then remove them—the skin will have curled back at the site of each X and peels away easily.
Escarole Soup with Mushrooms and Little Meatballs
    E
scarole soup used to be
a mainstay on the menus of family-run Italian immigrant restaurants, as familiar as pasta with red or white sauce, and with good reason. Hearty green leaves with real flavor in a delicious beef broth with meatballs—on a cold rainy day, what could warm you faster? The primary hurdle to making escarole soup at home is that few of us keep beef stock on hand, and canned alternatives have little to recommend them. They taste artificial and unacceptably salty. My solution is to sweat the escarole with some sautéed aromatic vegetables and mushrooms, then to add chicken stock. My kids love discovering the marble-sized meatballs hiding among the floating strands of escarole. This is a fairly thick soup; if you like more broth, increase the chicken stock to 8 cups.
    MAKES 4 TO 6 SERVINGS
    MEATBALLS
    1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
    1 shallot, minced
    1 garlic clove, minced
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    ½ pound ground veal
    1 extra-large egg
    2 tablespoons freshly grated Parmesan
    2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
    ¼ cup unbleached all-purpose flour

    BROTH
    2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    1 medium carrot, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch dice
    1 celery stalk, peeled and chopped into ¼-inch dice
    1 leek, white part only, trimmed of roots and tough outer leaves, finely chopped, and swirled vigorously in a bowl of cold water to remove any grit
    ½ pound mushrooms, finely chopped
    1 garlic clove, finely chopped
    Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
    1 head escarole, coarsely chopped and rinsed thoroughly to remove any grit
    6 cups Chicken Stock (page 31) or high-quality canned low-sodium chicken broth
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh sage
    1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme

    ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving

    1. To make the meatballs, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a small sauté pan over medium heat. Add the shallots and garlic, season with salt and pepper, and cook until tender about 3 minutes. Let cool.
    2. Combine the remaining meatball ingredients except the flour in a bowl, add the shallots and garlic, and mix. Test the mixture by forming asmall amount into a ball and frying it. Taste, and adjust the seasonings in the meat mixture as necessary.