Zuppa di Porcini e Farro con Speck Trentino

Ingredients

• 300 g fresh porcini mushrooms (or 50 g dried porcini), if dried, soaked 30 minutes in warm water; soaking liquid reserved and strained through cheesecloth
• 150 g farro (emmer wheat)
• 120 g Speck Alto Adige, sliced, then cut into lardons
• 1.5 litres beef bone broth, rich, well-skimmed
• For the soffritto
• 1 white onion, finely chopped
• 2 celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1 carrot, finely chopped
• To finish
• 30 ml grappa, added in the final 5 minutes
• 40 g Trentingrana, freshly grated, to serve

Method

1. 1
   If using dried porcini, place them in warm water and leave for 30 minutes, so the grains and fibres fully surrender their concentrated flavour into the liquid rather than holding it locked inside. Lift the mushrooms out and squeeze gently, then strain the soaking liquid through cheesecloth and set both aside. The liquid should be a deep amber — this signals that it holds the mushroom's full earthy character and every drop of it belongs in the pot.
2. 2
   Place the speck lardons in a cold heavy pot and set over medium heat, starting cold so the fat renders gradually and does not seize or scorch before it has time to coat the base. Render slowly until the lardons are lightly coloured and the smoked lard shimmers across the bottom of the pot. The fat should carry a clean smoke on the nose — this is the primary flavour base on which everything else is built.
3. 3
   Add the finely chopped onion, celery and carrot to the rendered speck fat and sweat over low heat, stirring occasionally, so the vegetables soften in the smoked fat and give up their sweetness without colouring. Continue until they are fully translucent and the raw smell has gone completely — any rawness here will persist stubbornly through the long simmer.
4. 4
   If using fresh porcini, set a separate wide pan over the highest available heat with no fat, so the cut faces make direct contact with a searingly hot surface and the Maillard browning can develop before the mushrooms release their moisture — fresh porcini added directly to the soup pot will steam and turn watery, losing the deep earthy character the dish depends on. Sear in a single layer without moving until deeply golden on the cut faces, then transfer to the soffritto pot. If using rehydrated dried porcini, add them now along with every drop of the strained soaking liquid.
5. 5
   Pour in the beef bone broth, using slightly less than instinct suggests because the farro will absorb aggressively as it cooks and the soup will thicken considerably. Bring to a gentle simmer — the surface should tremble, not boil — and cook the base for 20 minutes so the mushroom and speck flavours consolidate into a single, unified depth.
6. 6
   Add the farro 30 minutes before service and no earlier, so it cooks through without turning bloated and losing the definite bite at the centre that gives the soup its character. Stir it in and maintain a steady simmer, then after 25 minutes taste a grain: it should be cooked through but still have resistance at the centre. If the soup has thickened beyond a dense, spoonable consistency, loosen it with a small measure of hot broth.
7. 7
   In the final 5 minutes, pour in the grappa and stir once, so the alcohol lifts and carries the forest-mushroom aromas upward before it settles back into the body of the soup rather than sitting on top as a harsh note. Taste for salt, adjusting with care — the speck and broth carry significant salinity already, and the soup needs less than you expect.
8. 8
   Ladle into warm bowls and finish each portion with a generous amount of freshly grated Trentingrana. Serve at once.