Spring Leek and Farro Soup

I've never been one for wimpy, wispy soups, and that shows with this recipe. You'll find the flavors to be both easy on the taste buds and robust. Pull up a chair and enjoy some hearty soup, with seasonal leeks at the heart of the recipe.

The leek a lighter, milder version of the same family onions and garlic belong to. It doesn't get nearly as much praise as it deserves. Break out some leeks when adding onions would take things over the top, and you don't want to overpower your other ingredients. They're subtle, yet flavorful.

Ingredients
- 3 leeks, sliced thin (Never cooked with leeks? Check out this tutorial.)
- 1 cup corn
- 1 cup celery, chopped
- Juice of 1/2 of a lemon
- 8 cups vegetable broth
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup shredded parmesan cheese
- 2 TBSP butter
- 2 cups pearled farro
- Salt, to taste
- 1 tsp dried rosemary
- 2 TBSP cayenne pepper-based hot sauce (optional)
- Pomegranate seeds (optional)

How To Cook It
1) Sauté leeks and celery in butter until translucent, but not browned. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top and cook just a minute or so more.
2) Add 4 cups of the vegetable broth, corn, rosemary, hot sauce, and salt. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3) Remove from heat, add the other 4 cups vegetable broth, and blend together using either (my favorite) an immersion blender, and a bit at a time in a regular blender.
4) Bring the mixture back up to a boil, stir in farro, and simmer for 30 minutes or until farro is cooked al dente.
5) Stir in the milk (I used skim; you can add a higher-fat milk for a richer soup) and cheese. Cook a few minutes more.
6) Garnish with pomegranate seeds and serve.