Everything about food, from matching food and wine to recipes, techniques and trends.

What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

Moderators: Jenise, Robin Garr, David M. Bueker

no avatar
User

Frank Deis

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2333

Joined

Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:20 pm

Location

NJ

What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Frank Deis » Fri Jul 05, 2013 10:48 am

I started buying Spelt/Farro back when I really got into Italian cooking about 20 years ago. I have used it in soups, there is a Minestra di Farro in one of the Bugialli cookbooks that I've made several times. And I have not made it but I've seen recipes for a sweet Farro pie for dessert. At any rate there is usually some in my pantry.

So, the other day I had the TV on and stumbled over Martha Stewart, the show was called GRAINS and she was talking about Farro. I had to see what she would do. What she did kind of blew my mind. Normally I can look at the ingredients in a recipe and visualize the flavors of the final product. I had no clue what this would taste like and so I had to try it for myself.

She put some olive oil on a cookie sheet and filled it with stemmed, seedless red grapes. Another cookie sheet, olive oil, and fill with 1/4 inch high round onion slices from 2 red onions. (Meanwhile cook Farro in salted water until plumped and tender, and drain, and add some more salt). Oven at a high temperature like 450F. Grapes on high shelf, onions on low shelf. Every 15 minutes flip the onions, maybe a little more olive oil and salt, stir the grapes, ditto. You will be done by 45 minutes, mine were done earlier -- grapes should lose their shape and be pulpy, onions should be soft and caramelized, somewhat browned. Let this stuff cool a bit and then just scrape each cookie sheet into a big bowl and stir into the Farro. Add something like a tablespoon of good red wine vinegar, and 3 tablespoons of EVOO. Stir everything around. For the crowning touch -- buy a package of baby kale leaves (I was shocked to learn that the grocery store 2 blocks from my house, which doesn't have ANYTHING, has baby kale now). You need to break off the long stems, and it's probably good to tear the biggest leaves in half. I think she said something like four cups of kale leaves (hard to measure anyway) but you heap the leaves on top and then toss to incorporate.

The flavor was refreshing, different, unexpected and it's a lovely cold salad on a summer day. There is a recipe online but it is older and she has you cut each grape in half and then put the cookie sheet in a 250F oven for more than an hour. The onion rings are done in a frying pan in the older recipe. Also she says to put rosemary into the farro while it's simmering, which is a very Italian touch.

Those onions are so savory in the salad and each pulpy grape is a sweet surprise on the palate. Nice, Martha!

http://www.marthastewart.com/284931/far ... grapes-and
no avatar
User

Rahsaan

Rank

Wild and Crazy Guy

Posts

9206

Joined

Tue Mar 28, 2006 8:20 pm

Location

New York, NY

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Rahsaan » Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:11 pm

Nice idea. We eat a lot of grains, but treat them more or less interchangeably and don't get too complicated. Which means we'll have rice, barley, couscous (ok, not a grain, but still), millet, farro, etc etc and just cook them in a bit of water to go with our meal. Sometimes I'll add various vegetables (e.g. sauteed carrots, or sauteed red peppers or in recent weeks shelled peas at the end of the grain's cooking cycle) but that's about it.

So this is a nice idea!
no avatar
User

Shaji M

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

669

Joined

Thu Apr 05, 2007 3:24 pm

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Shaji M » Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:24 pm

Once I tried using day old left over farro in a stir fry recipe as one would make fried rice..with some sliced meat, onions, ginger, garlic, green onions, chillies etc..and it turned out superb. Every time we make farro, we make a little extra to make fried farro the next day!
no avatar
User

Karen/NoCA

Rank

Hunter/Gatherer

Posts

6313

Joined

Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:55 pm

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Karen/NoCA » Fri Jul 05, 2013 2:30 pm

no avatar
User

Frank Deis

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2333

Joined

Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:20 pm

Location

NJ

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Frank Deis » Fri Jul 05, 2013 4:40 pm

Thanks that looks terrific!! And I suppose that in exchange for her idea of buttermilk dressing, I can overlook spelling it "farrow"! :D

Image
no avatar
User

Karen/NoCA

Rank

Hunter/Gatherer

Posts

6313

Joined

Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:55 pm

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Karen/NoCA » Fri Jul 05, 2013 7:25 pm

Frank Deis wrote:Thanks that looks terrific!! And I suppose that in exchange for her idea of buttermilk dressing, I can overlook spelling it "farrow"! :D

Image

Not sure what you are gettting at here? Enlighten me, please.
no avatar
User

Christina Georgina

Rank

Wisconsin Wondercook

Posts

1509

Joined

Wed Mar 22, 2006 3:37 pm

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Christina Georgina » Fri Jul 05, 2013 10:57 pm

Frank,
The farro pie is a traditional Easter dish in our family and everyone looks for it. Ricotta, candied orange peel, lemon and orange zest, golden raisins and pine nuts mixed with the cooked farro makes a very tasty dish. I've always found the traditional two crust affair heavy so I just dump the filling into a buttered springform pan that has been dusted with panko. Also folding in a few whipped egg whites lightens the whole thing considerably.
Otherwise, I usually cook it in a porcini stock or chicken stock with or without sauteed onion, garlic and bits of other vegetables in a pilaf type affair. It makes a nice farrotto - risotto type dish with grated parm. Love it.
Mamma Mia !
no avatar
User

Rahsaan

Rank

Wild and Crazy Guy

Posts

9206

Joined

Tue Mar 28, 2006 8:20 pm

Location

New York, NY

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Rahsaan » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:16 pm

Christina Georgina wrote:Frank,
The farro pie is a traditional Easter dish in our family and everyone looks for it. Ricotta, candied orange peel, lemon and orange zest, golden raisins and pine nuts mixed with the cooked farro makes a very tasty dish


Wow, those are great flavors. Sounds delicious. And you don't even need the farro!
no avatar
User

Frank Deis

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2333

Joined

Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:20 pm

Location

NJ

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Frank Deis » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:31 pm

Karen/NoCA wrote:
Frank Deis wrote:Thanks that looks terrific!! And I suppose that in exchange for her idea of buttermilk dressing, I can overlook spelling it "farrow"! :D

Not sure what you are gettting at here? Enlighten me, please.


Sorry, a stupid pedantic spelling glitch, those things sometimes bother me...
Last edited by Frank Deis on Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:48 pm, edited 2 times in total.
no avatar
User

Frank Deis

Rank

Wine guru

Posts

2333

Joined

Fri Nov 09, 2007 12:20 pm

Location

NJ

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Frank Deis » Fri Jul 05, 2013 11:32 pm

Rahsaan wrote:
Christina Georgina wrote:Frank,
The farro pie is a traditional Easter dish in our family and everyone looks for it. Ricotta, candied orange peel, lemon and orange zest, golden raisins and pine nuts mixed with the cooked farro makes a very tasty dish


Wow, those are great flavors. Sounds delicious. And you don't even need the farro!


Me too, I shouldn't have neglected that idea and I have a couple of recipes that look pretty great...
no avatar
User

Karen/NoCA

Rank

Hunter/Gatherer

Posts

6313

Joined

Thu Mar 23, 2006 8:55 pm

Re: What do YOU do with Farro? And a recipe

by Karen/NoCA » Sat Jul 06, 2013 1:37 pm

Frank Deis wrote:
Karen/NoCA wrote:
Frank Deis wrote:Thanks that looks terrific!! And I suppose that in exchange for her idea of buttermilk dressing, I can overlook spelling it "farrow"! :D

Not sure what you are gettting at here? Enlighten me, please.


Sorry, a stupid pedantic spelling glitch, those things sometimes bother me...


I knew it was a spelling glitch you were speaking of, but I could not find it. Linda and I work hard at finding those and she makes the corrections, but I am not great at editing any more....used to be. :oops:

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: ClaudeBot, DotBot and 0 guests

Powered by phpBB ® | phpBB3 Style by KomiDesign