farro & vegetable chili

Some days I go through the fridge and take inventory of what needs to be used up.  To see what's sitting around in little containers, remnants of ingredients purchased for other recipes.  And then I set out to make something edible.  This hearty stew was a product of one of those days.  It's the cliché "everything-but-the-kitchen-sink" recipe.  Only it tasted better than edible.  It was delicious.

Ingredients:

1 c. black beans (pre-cooked)
1 c. farro (dry)
3-4 carrots, cut into rounds
3-4 celery stalks, diced
1 medium or 1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 red pepper, diced
2-3 small sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
2 T. olive oil
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. coriander
1 tsp. cumin
2 tsp. curry
6 c. water

Directions:  Saute all the vegetables in the olive oil in a large pot over medium high heat.  Once softened, add in the beans, salt, and spices.  Stir well and saute another couples of minutes.  Add in at least 6 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Add in the farro.  Reduce heat and allow to simmer for at least 20 minutes.  The stew is ready when the farro is chewy and the potatoes are soft.    

I thought of calling this Indian-Mexican Stew because of the spices and vegetable selections.  But surprisingly, this reminded me of Skyline Chili -- the same flavor notes.  So I thought "farro and vegetable chili" would be more descriptive and it would tip you off to what this is going to taste like.  As with any other chili, this one's better the next day after it's had time to let its flavors mingle.