Spelt is one of the poorest grains used in the past when wheat cultivation was unable to guarantee such a high production today. It is to be considered that until the nineteenth century every grain of wheat was able to guarantee only 5 seeds instead of 36 today. The same production was guaranteed by the spelt that accompanied the grain until it was almost forgotten for its low production.
Spelt minestra, that English people would call soup, is therefore a poor dish forgotten by farmers in the course of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, and rediscovered today thanks to the quality of this cereal, unrefined as is the case with modern pasta and therefore much more genuine. This cereal has a very slow cooking in fact, but with the advantage to not being refined. Let it cook for a long time and will have even more flavor.
- Finely chop the carrot (1), onion (2) and celery (3).
- Pour three tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil (4) and heat it to brown the chopped herbs. While the herbs fry, cut into pieces the ham (5) to put it in the fry (6), or if you have it, the bone.
- As the onion begins to be transparent and flavor the ham, add a few drops of broth (7) so as not to let them burn and continue to flavor for a few more minutes. Then put the tomato (8) and flavor for about five minutes before adding ½ liters of vegetable broth (9). Let go for ten minutes if you put the fresh ham, otherwise for at least 45 minutes if you have used ham bone.
- Once the soup is well seasoned, add the spelt (10), usually cooked for at least half an hour, but often for more than 45 minutes. Grate the pecorino cheese and add in the minestra (11), then stir (12) wih a spoon. Serve it still hot in a soup dishes. Also put some olive oil to flavor better, and some black pepper if you like.
