Bought a small bag of farro this weekend and tried three recipes. Part of my ongoing quest to eat .

B

barbara-in-va

Well-known member
more healthy. DH is an eggplant lover so first I made this:

Fire Roasted Tomato Stew w? Eggplant and Farro

Source: Ancient Granin for Modern Meal by Maria Speck (I am really enjoying this book)

Farro

1 C water

1/2 C farro

pinch salt

Stew

1 eggplant, 1 lb

2 T olive oil

1 med red onion, diced

1 clove garlic, lightly crushed

1/2 t fine sea salt

1/2 lb parsnips or carrots, halved or quartered lengthwise depending on size and sliced 1/2" thick, about 2C

3/4 t cinnamon

2 T tomato paste

1 28oz can whole fire roasted tomatoes, crushed

2 1/2 C beef broth

1/2 C dark raisins

1/4 C drained, chopped oil packed sun dried tomatoes

1/4 t ground black pepper

To Finish

1 t sugar

1 t olive oil

1/4 C chopped parsley

yogurt for serving

1. To prepare the farro, bring the water, farro, and salt to a boil in a small heavy bottomed saucepan. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the grain is tender but still slightly chewy, 20-26 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid. (I followed the direction on the package to soak for 25 min then simmer for another 25, they were delicious nutty chewy grains when done)

2. Meanwhile prepare the eggplant for the stew. Cut the eggplant lengthwise into 8 pieces, cut into quarters then each quarter in half again, then cut each piece into 1/4" slices (I didn't quite understand this so I cut into largish pieces!) You will have about 6C eggplant. Place half on a large microwave safe plate and drizzle with 1T water. Microwave on high for 2 min, or until pieces start to soften. Repleat with remaining egggplant.

3. To make the stew, heat olive oil in a large heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, garlic and 1/4 t salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is light golden with a few brown edges, about 8 min. Stir in the parsnips, eggplant and cinnamon and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 1 min. Stir in tomato paste and cook for 1 min.

4. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices, scraping to release any browned bits. Add the broth, raisins, sun dried tomatoes, pepper and remaining salt, bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover and cook until the eggplant is soft and the parsnips are tender 20-25 min, stirring once or twice.

5. To finish stir in the farro and season wtih sugar. Add a bit more water to thin if you like. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Remove from heat, drizzle with olive oil and let sit for 3 min. Garnish with parsley and yogurt. Serve in deep plates.

Variation: add 1 can chick peas with tomatoes in step 4 (we love chick peas so I did add these).

This is one of the best veggie stews I have ever made. DH loved it and we are looking forward to left overs tonight!

 
And from Joe at Desert Culinary, REC: Roasted Broccoli and Ferro Salad with Feta

Farro dish #3. Thanks Joe for a delicious dish! This dish is also very tweakable. For lunch today I have added a few left over sundried tomatoes from the Eggplant Stew above (I soaked dried tomatoes and then packed them in olive oil and herbs as suggested in Maria Specks book). I am thinking that some toasted walnuts or pine nuts would also be a nice addition.

http://desertculinary.blogspot.com/

 
What does farro taste like? Is the texture like barley or a rice? Just curious. I need to

have a similar quest to cook healthier, but..... : )

 
I pine for the days when Sprouts sold farro in bulk, and at a reasonable price.

It is too expensive now. Evidently, it has become fashionable... and pricey.

I like it, but it's not an assertive flavor. I can use barley in any of the farro soups/stews I make and be quite happy (and a bit heavier in the wallet!).

Michael

 
Pay attention to how the farro is packaged. It's sold as whole, semi-pearled, or pearl.

And this will severely impact the cooking time.
Pearled cooks in 15-20 minutes...almost like cous cous or quinoa.

Whole (bought in bulk at Whole Foods) was still a bit chewy after 50 minutes.

 
I love farro and will try this. Thanks for posting it. Here's a good soup.

I used cannellini beans I had soaked over night and simmered in fresh water until tender. I also used the bean cooking water instead of plain water.

Minestra di Faro Lucchese
Mario Batali 4 servings

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 Spanish onion, thinly sliced
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
1 cup faro (may substitute wheat berries)
1 (12-ounce) can borlotti beans, rinsed and drained
1 tablespoons tomato paste
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Water
1 1/2 cups fresh green peas
2 large carrots, cut into 1/4-inch half moons
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
Freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano

In a 10-inch Dutch oven or stockpan, heat the olive oil over a medium-high flame until hot but not smoking. Add the onion, celery, and leek and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and light golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the faro, beans, and tomato paste, stirring so that the tomato paste is spread throughout the pan. Add salt and pepper, to taste. Add water until the mixture is completely covered. Let the liquid come to a boil then lower the heat and let the soup simmer gently for 30 minutes.

Add the peas and the carrots, stirring to combine, and continue to cook for another 30 minutes, adding more water when necessary to keep the soup from getting too dry.

To serve: Divide evenly between 4 warmed soup bowls and garnish, to taste, with basil and Parmigiano-Reggiano

 
barb_b, farro is a type of wheat. I bought a small package of whole farro,

as it was all they had at the small Whole Foods on my way to work. It is chewey like rice but bigger grains with a slight nutty taste. This was the first time I have tried it and we really liked it. Hope you give it a try!

 
neither, really

I find the grains, while soft, have a pleasant pop and chew.

 
Simple

Sautee mushrooms and onions and then add the farro and about 3 or 4 teaspoons of the Campbell's Beefy Mushroom soup and enough water for the farro. Bring it to a low boil and cooked it for an hour. Finally, put the lid on and let it finish seaming until done. It makes a rich, beefy and hardy grain dish. You can top it with Parmesan and it would be much like a risotto.

 
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