At this time of year, I like to have at least one soup on hand all the time. I enjoy soup for lunch, dinner and sometimes even for breakfast.

At the farmers market in Sebastopol a week or so ago, a friend came to the table where I was selling some of my books and handed me a sweet little gift, a book entitled “Zuppa! Soups From the Italian Countryside” (Anne Bianchi, Ecco Press, 1996, $25). Slow Cookers

The first two recipes here are adapted from ones in “Zuppa!” I’ve added Italian-Style Salsa Verde because I appreciate the contrast of earthy farro, chick peas and winter squash with the bright salsa verde. The third recipe is from my own archives, with a simple change of farro for barley.

The best gift you can give a soup is homemade stock. My freezer has chicken, beef, vegetable and mushroom stock and soon it will have fish stock, too. There is no good substitute, not even the broths, bone broths and stocks in most grocery stores these days. And so, if you would like a copy of my recipes for stocks, email me at the address at the end of this column and I will send you a PDF with the recipes. Happy (almost) winter.

This earthy soup is rich and thick, almost like a porridge. It is perfect on a cold night, preferably with a warm fire going and a glass of something good alongside. If you don’t make the salsa verde to go with it, you’ll want to serve it with hot sauce or crushed red pepper, to add a bit of brightness to the earthy flavors.

Italian-Style Salsa Verde (recipe follows)

1 large yellow onion, small dice

Black pepper in a mill

The night before making the soup, put the chickpeas in a large container, cover with water by at least 4 inches and let soak overnight. Put the farro in a medium container, cover with water by at least 3 inches and let soak overnight.

Drain both the chickpeas and the farro and keep them separate.

Put the chickpeas in a large soup pot, cover with water by 2 inches and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the chickpeas are tender, 1 to 1 ½ hours. Stir now and then and add water as needed.

While the chickpeas cook, make the salsa verde and set it aside.

Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan or soup pot set over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until it is limp and fragrant, about 15 minutes; do not let the onion burn. Season with salt.

Tip the cooked chickpeas and their cooking liquid into the pot. Add the farro, the stock and the bay leaves and bring to boil. Reduce the heat and simmer very gently until the farro is completely tender, about 45 to 60 minutes, depending on its age.

Stir now and then as the soup cooks and add more water if it seems to need it; the texture should be rich and dense.

Use tongs to remove and discard the bay leaves. Taste, correct for salt and season generously with pepper. Cover, remove from the heat and let rest 30 to 45 minutes. To serve, ladle into bowls, top with a generous spoonful or 2 of salsa verde and enjoy lukewarm.

By adding the spinach toward the end of cooking, you retain its bright flavor, which is delicious with the squash and farro.

Italian-Style Salsa Verde (recipe follows)

8 cups vegetable or chicken stock

Black pepper in a mill

The night before making the soup, put the farro in a medium container, cover with water by 2 inches and let soak overnight.

To finish the soup, drain the farro and set it aside. Make the salsa verde and set it aside.

With a very sharp knife, peel the squash and cut it into ½ inch cubes. Set it aside.

Pour the olive oil into a large saucepan or soup pot set over medium-low heat. Add the onion and saute until it begins to soften and give off its aroma, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the squash and saute until it begins to soften, about 10 minutes; turn it frequently as it cooks.

When the squash is somewhat tender, season with salt, add the wine, increase the heat to high and simmer until it is almost completely reduced. Add the farro and the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is quite tender, 30 to 45 minutes or a bit longer, depending on its age.

When the farro is nearly tender, set a large saute pan over medium heat. Working quickly, rinse the spinach leaves in water and immediately transfer them to the pan, with plenty of water clinging to the leaves. Add the pressed garlic, lemon zest and lemon juice. Cover the pan and cook for about 90 seconds, until the spinach wilts.

Stir the spinach and any pan juices into the soup and continue to cook until the farro is fully tender.

Remove from the heat, taste, season generously with black pepper and correct for salt. Cover and let rest 30 minutes.

To serve, ladle into soup plates, top with a generous dollop of salsa verde and enjoy right away.

This is the soup I grew up on, with one change: In this version, I use farro instead of barley. This change adds a layer of engaging, delicious earthiness.

½ cup turkey fat, duck fat, olive oil or butter

2 yellow onions, cut into small dice

3 carrots, cut into small dice

Black pepper in a mill

4 cups cooked turkey meat, coarsely chopped

8 - 10 fresh sage leaves, cut into very thin ribbons

The night before making the soup, put the farro in a container and cover it with water by at least 2 inches. Let it soak overnight. Drain, rinse the farro and set it aside.

Heat the fat, oil or butter in a large heavy soup pot set over medium-low heat until the fat just begins to smoke. With a long-handle wooden spoon or metal whisk, stir the flour, about 2 tablespoons at a time, into the hot oil. Whisk or stir constantly until the flour begins to color evenly. When the flour is golden brown, remove it from the heat and immediately stir in the onions and carrots. Continue to stir for 3 or 4 minutes as the roux cools and stops darkening. Season with salt and pepper and return to medium heat.

Pour about 1 cup of stock into the roux and stir with a whisk until the mixture is smooth. Add 2 cups and stir again. Add the remaining stock and simmer over low heat for about 1 hour. Add the turkey meat and farro and simmer until the farro is tender, about 35 to 45 minutes or a bit longer.

Taste, correct for salt, season with several turns of pepper and ladle into soup plates or bowls. Top each portion with some of the sage ribbons and enjoy right away.

The soup can be cooled, refrigerated and reheated; its flavor will improve for 3 or 4 days.

I almost always have a version of salsa verde in my refrigerator. I enjoy it in soups, on scrambled eggs, in quesadillas (with green Cholula hot sauce), on braises and roasted vegetables and even atop cottage cheese and plain yogurt. When cucumbers are in season, I add 1 or 2, cut into small dice. Sometimes I add a generous spoonful of Dijon mustard and occasionally, I’ll add 2 anchovy fillets to the garlic.

4 or 5 plump garlic cloves, peeled and crushed

1 teaspoon brined green peppercorns or 2 teaspoons brined capers

1 large bunch very fresh Italian parsley, large stems removed

1 small to medium bunch cilantro, large stems removed

1 bunch (about 6) green onions, trimmed and very thinly sliced

Juice of 1 lemon, plus more to taste

⅓ cup, approximately, extra-virgin olive oil

Put the garlic into a suribachi or other mortar, sprinkle with salt and use a wooden pestle to crush it into a paste. Add the green peppercorns and crush each one and stir. Transfer to a large bowl (you might need to add a bit of lemon juice to the suribachi and swirl it to get all the garlic paste out).

Chop the parsley and cilantro fairly small but do not mince it. Transfer it to the bowl with the garlic paste. Add the green onions, lemon zest and lemon juice and toss well. Taste and correct for salt.

Stir in the olive oil, taste again and adjust for salt and acid balance. If it tastes at all flat, add a bit more lemon and a bit more salt. If it is too tart, add a little olive oil.

Michele Anna Jordan is the author of 24 books, including “A New Cook’s Tour of Sonoma.” Email her at michele@micheleannajordan.com.

Steamer UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: