When I was studying film in college, I would make short, strange films. When it came time to show them to the class, I’d stand in back giggling at all of the jokes in my film, looking forward to the beautiful, carefully planned shots. And everybody else would sit and watch with perplexed looks on their faces. The whole thing would end with awkward silence or confused questions. Yeah. And now…now! I may have mentioned that I’m writing a novel! I’m completely obsessed with it! I’m infatuated with my own novel. I lie awake all night writing it in my head. I read passages from it over and over! I scribble ideas for scenes or whole scenes in my notebook, and hours later I can’t read them, because my handwriting is so atrocious! I have ideas while I’m walking Isaac to school, and I can’t remember them by the time I get home! I love my characters, and I want them to go through all of the things they need to go through, but I’m not sure what those things will turn out to be! I know some of the things though, and I can’t wait to write them down, I can’t wait to get through all of the stuff that has to happen first, although I like all of those scenes, too! I want it all to come out at once in a big rush. But the truth is I write quite slowly, in fits and starts, and agonize over every word. And I have massive doubts that the whole thing won’t make sense to anybody else in the world, and if anybody else reads it it will be greeted by perplexed silence and confused questions. But that’s okay, because right now it feels so good to be working on it. I’m building something. I’m working on something big, I’m working on something good, and I might lie awake all night with people running through my head, but it’s worth it. Right now it feels worth it. So today’s Sunday Interactive playlist is songs about people working on something. Not a job of work for a wage, but something big, something good, something they believe in, even if they seem a little crazy. It could be a building, a song, something mysterious, a career, a love, anything!

And today’s recipe is simple but delicious. It’s soup! Because it’s still cold and snowy here, and starting to seem like it always will be! This soup is hearty with farro and potatoes, but bright with tomato and lemon and rosemary. If you have fresh basil, that’s nice with it. If not a dollop of pesto is nice, or some grated mozzarella.

Here’s a link to your interactive playlist. Add whatever song you like, or leave a title in the comments and I’ll add it for you through the week.

2 T olive oil
1 shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 t fresh rosemary, chopped
2 medium-sized potatoes, scrubbed and cut in 1/3 inch dice
1/3 cup white wine
1/2 cup farro
1 t smoked paprika
3 cups baby spinach, finely chopped
1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained
1 can roasted diced tomatoes
1 T butter
juice of half a lemon
salt and plenty of freshly ground pepper
fresh basil, chopped, or a dollop of pesto
grated mozzarella

In a large soup pot over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the shallot, garlic, and rosemary. Stir and cook until the garlic starts to brown. Add the potatoes, stir and cook for a few minutes until they start to brown and soften. Add the white wine, and scrape up all the nicely browned stuff stuck to the bottom of the pan. Add the farro and smoked paprika and stir and cook for a minute or two.

Add enough water to cover everything by about an inch. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about half an hour until the potatoes and faro are soft but still have some texture. The farro should be al dente. Add the chick peas and tomatoes, stir and cook to heat through. Stir in the butter and lemon and season well with salt and pepper.

Top with fresh basil or a dollop of pesto and a bit of grated mozzarella.