Or “How Farro Can You Go?!”
Farro is a wheat that has been grown in Italy since the Roman times when it was referred to as Farrum! Now I really don’t know how farro it can go but it has come farrum.
Enough silliness, farro is a name given to 3 cultivated hulled wheat species, einkorn, emmer and spelt, also know as farro piccolo, farro medio and farro grande respectively. They have a very hard husk and require further processing after harvest in order for us to make use of its nutty goodness inside. While Farro was the predominant grain for centuries it has been replaced by wheat like durum which are free threshing, light hull that removes when threshing. It has made a recent comeback though as the quest for more local and bio-diverse crop systems are being planted and is often raised organically.
As a food it has a great nutty taste and a very toothsome texture. Many cooks boil it like rice in broth or add it to soups. At the Union Street Faire Sunday June 3rd I’ll be assisting in a demonstration in making a risotto styled dish called farrotto. It’s made in exactly the same way as risotto except with farro instead of arborio rice.While a little time consuming the lovely creamy texture combined with the nutty flavor and toothsome quality make this a remarkable dish.
For a recipe please be sure to drop by Suzanne Griffin’s website.
Eat Well and Smile Often
tj
To-farro, To-farro, I love you To-farro, you’re only 30minutesofstirringinapan Aaaaa-Waaaaaayyyyyy!!!!
Many thanks to http://www.underutilized-species.org/Documents/PUBLICATIONS/farro_in_italy.pdf as the main resource for this piece
thanks to people like you that all newbie have the opportunity to understand something they would like to know but don’t know where to find it.
Hi Tom-I just read your entry about your meat eating/shopping locally etc and I just had to comment because I am in complete agreement. I also live in a place, San Francisco, where buying locally is a given. It wasn’t until I was in Savannah, GA earlier this year that I realized how spoiled I was. While shopping for dinner at Publix I was amused by the fact that I flew all the way to Savannah to eat California potatoes, and tomatoes, and corn, and drink California wine. Living in the lovely bubble of the Bay Area sometimes one forgets that not every town has their own CowGirl Creamery and Neiman Ranch at their fingertips. I often forget that most of this country buys what I consider my local food. But I think that making sure your food is healthy (aka hormone, artificial color and flavor and trans-fat free) is something that all Americans can easily do, even those with more limited resources and pocket books. And eating with the seasons. I suppose we all might do that more as money gets tighter. There’s a reason that asparagus costs $5.00 right now and the stores are bursting with citrus. But I love your blog and I hope that I can one day get mine to match your amazing quality!
Kamila,
Thanks for taking the time to read my blog and leave such a thoughtful comment. Eating fresh and locally is a great way to eat and help the environment. Buying at the Farmer’s Market allows you to talk tot he farmer and know more about how your food is raised. As for me, I am trying to teach myself gardening and believe that everyone of us should be pulling out our lawns and planting food year round in its place. Please let me know when your blog is online. I look forward to reading it.
Tom
since this is my 1st visit to your website, i simply wished to say greetings! wonderful website incidentally.
I love farro. I’ve only cooked it once and at the time had never tried it, and as such was not enptceixg the texture to be so firm. I just kept boiling and boiling thinking that eventually it would soften up. Well now that I know what the texture should be, I think I may have to give it another try. This recipe sounds like a good starting place. Thanks!
Najma,
Glad you liked the recipe. I was honestly surprised when I first tried it, it tastes so good. Thanks for stopping by and reading my blog!
Tom