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www.desitalk.com – that’s all you need to know 18 CUISINE November 7, 2025 Channel The Best Fall Flavors With This Farro And Pumpkin Soup I t’s hard to think of a vegetable more overlooked and underrated than celery. I’m reminded of this when- ever the weather cools and I have the urge to make khoresht-e karafs. In Farsi, the name means, simply, “celery stew.” I’ve turned on the heat in my apartment, switched out my bedspread for a comforter and broken in a new pair of sweatpants for lounging. Soup doesn’t need to be relegated to a certain season, but we’re heading into its prime time. Channeling the earthy, warming vibes of fall, I’ve developed a soup with farro, pumpkin, Swiss chard and spiced maple pecans to keep you warm and cozy in the months ahead. The soup starts by sautéing the chard stems and a diced onion in a bit of oil and seasoning them with smoked paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper. (Yes, cin- namon can be used in savory dishes, too.) Including the stems in this step is a great way to keep them from going to waste while also adding extra nutrition. Next to join the pot are pumpkin puree, farro and vegetable broth. Given my desire to develop a fall soup, including pumpkin was a no-brainer. With Halloween having just ended, if you have gone through the work of roasting your own pumpkin, it would be lovely here. But for the rest of us, canned puree will do just fine. Farro makes the soup hearty and filling. I love the grain’s nutty flavor and chewy texture. (Plus, it’s high in protein and fiber.) I call for pearled farro for its quicker cook time, but you can use semi-pearled or whole farro if that’s all you have on hand. Once the soup is almost done, stir in the chard leaves until they soften. Chard is a relative of beets and has a similarly earthy flavor that I love. However, like beets, it is not everyone’s cup of tea. If you’re in that camp, you can easily substitute another leafy green of your choosing. The soup is lovely on its own, but I knew some sort of spiced, candied nut for extra texture and flavor would make it that much more enticing. With Thanksgiving around the corner, recipes editor Becky Krystal brought up the idea of pairing pecans with the pumpkin as an homage to the two classic pies. In this recipe, the pecans are sweetened with maple syrup and flavored with smoked paprika, cinnamon and pinch of cayenne for a kick of heat. (They’d also be great in salads or as a snack.) I’m writing this column after being sick for a few days, and this soup is just the kind of thing I would have loved to have had on hand to help nurse me back to health. Perhaps I’ll make and freeze a batch for the next time I find myself in this situation. Or maybe I’ll give a quart to a friend or neighbor. To me, this soup represents the best of the season - and sharing with others represents the best of humanity. FARRO AND PUMPKIN SOUP WITH SPICED MAPLE PECANS This cozy fall soup with farro, pumpkin and Swiss chard is nutty, earthy and warming. Maple-syrup-sweet- ened nuts, spiced with smoked paprika, cinnamon and a pinch of cayenne pepper, add texture, along with a subtle dose of sweetness and heat. Servings: 4-6 (makes about 11 cups) Active time: 30 minutes. Total time: 45 minutes. Substitutions: Swiss chard >> spinach, kale, collards or another green, with an adjustment to the cooking time depending on how tender it is. Vegetable stock or broth >> chicken stock or broth. Pearled farro >> any type of farro or another grain, with an adjustment to the cooking time. Pecans >> other nuts or seeds. Storage: Refrigerate the soup for up to 4 days, or freeze for up to 3 months. Store the pecans in an airtight con- tainer at room temperature for up to 1 week. INGREDIENTS For the soup: 1 pound Swiss chard (1 medium bunch) 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium yellow onion (7 ounces), diced 1 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more as needed 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed 6 cups vegetable stock or broth, preferably no-salt-added or reduced-sodium One (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree 1 cup pearled farro, rinsed For the spiced maple pecans: 1 cup (3 1/2 ounces) raw pecan halves 2 tablespoons maple syrup 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon fine salt 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper DIRECTIONS IMake the soup: Rinse the chard, then tear the leaves into bite-size pieces and thinly slice the stems. In a large (5- to 6-quart) pot over medium-high heat, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the chard stems, on- ion, paprika, cinnamon, salt and pepper, and cook, stir- ring occasionally, until the onion starts to soften, about 7 minutes. Add the stock, pumpkin puree and farro, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat so the mixture is simmering, partially cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the farro is almost tender, about 15 minutes. Add the chard leaves, partially cover and cook, stirring once or twice, until the leaves are tender but still retain some bite, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat. Taste, and season with more salt and pepper, as desired. Make the spiced maple pecans: In a medium to large (10- to 12-inch) nonstick skillet over medium heat, com- bine the pecans, maple syrup, paprika, cinnamon, salt and cayenne. Cook, stirring frequently, until the syrup becomes sticky and caramelized and the nuts are a shade darker, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pecan mixture to a cutting board, let cool completely and chop. (The nuts will crisp as they cool.) When ready to serve, ladle the soup into bowls and top with some of the pecans. Nutritional information per serving (scant 2 cups of soup plus scant 3 tablespoons of pecans), based on 6: 354 calories, 18 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 43 g carbohydrates, 418 mg sodium, 0 mg cholesterol, 8 g protein, 7 g fiber, 10 g sugar. This analysis is an estimate based on available ingre- dients and this preparation. It should not substitute for a dietitian’s or nutritionist’s advice. - TheWashington Post By Aaron Hutcherson PHOTO:Marvin Joseph/TheWashington Post Farro and Pumpkin Soup With Spiced Maple Pecans. You Asked: What’s The Best Cutting Board For Meat And Vegetables? W hat is your go-to cutting board for meat and veggies? This is a question we received in one of our live weekly chats, where we help you level up your skills in the kitchen. I actually have a few go-to boards, not just one. Most of my savory cooking prep takes place on a large wood cutting board. (I don’t recommend glass or metal, as they will dull your knives almost immediately.) It gives me plenty of room to cut veg- etables - too-small boards are just a knife accident waiting to happen. I have a separate, smaller board I use for fruit (and sometimes less aromatic vegetables, such as cucumbers and to- matoes, which, yes, are technically both fruit). There are two main reasons for that. One, no matter how scrupulous I am about cleaning the big wood board, it can sometimes carry over garlic and onion fla- vors. Normally, that’s not a big deal for sa- vory dishes, which is why I don’t go crazy trying to remove every last smell, but it’s not something I want to taste in, say, diced pineapple. I also like having a smaller wood board for fruit because it means I don’t have to lug out the giant one every time I need to cut an apple. This board is also a good one for bread, though I do have a separate small bread board since we tend to almost always have a partially sliced loaf hanging out on the counter waiting to be eaten over several days. When I cook meat at home, I use a dedicated plastic board for the purpose because it’s easy to chuck in the dishwash- er for cleaning. Especially if you’re trying to avoid plastic, wood is also perfectly safe to use for cutting meat and seafood, though food safety experts recommend you have a separate board for just that purpose, rather than using the same one for food that will never be cooked. Regardless of the type of board, wash with mild dish soap and hot water, then pat dry. If your board is dishwasher-safe, it’s fine to do that. (Avoid putting wood boards in the dishwasher, which can cause them to warp or crack.) If you feel compelled to sanitize, the U.S. Agriculture Department recommends a solution of 1 tablespoon of bleach per gallon of water. Flood the board with the bleach solution, let it stand for several minutes, then rinse and pat dry. - TheWashington Post By Becky Krystal