The trouble with so-called “ancient grains” is that though they have tickled the fancy of restaurant chefs, most of them remain way under the home cook radar.
It’s an experience thing. Or lack of. Most of us aren’t even sure how to cook amaranth, quinoa and spelt, never mind know how to serve them.
Which is too bad. They can be delicious, creative and usually inexpensive ways of working whole grains into your cooking.
So let me help you over that first hurdle by introducing you to farro, what may be the easiest to cook and most versatile of the ancient grains.
Also called emmer wheat, farro was one of the earliest cultivated grains and was grown widely in northern Africa and Europe.
But farro — the Italian name for this relative of modern wheat — can be fussy to grow and lost favor. Fast forward a few thousand years and it’s trying for a comeback.
Farro has a robustly nutty flavor, a satisfyingly chewy texture, and it works well with numerous ingredients and cuisines.
Best yet, if you know how to prepare pasta, you know how to cook farro. Boil 1 cup of farro in 3 to 4 cups of water (salted or not) for 15 minutes, then drain. Done.
In Italy, where most farro is grown, the grain often is added to soups. It also can be substituted for rice in risotto. Like arborio and other rice varieties, farro is high in starch (needed to produce creamy risotto). Unlike rice, farro is forgiving. Overcooked rice results in mushy risotto. Farro holds its texture even when overcooked.
Most farro — which is high in protein and low in gluten — sold in the U.S. is pearled, which means it has been hulled. This helps it cook faster. Avoid farro that is not pearled, as this must be first soaked, then cooked longer.
Like other varieties of wheat, farro can be ground into flour and used in baking and to make pasta.
Instead, try it in the recipe below.
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Warm Farro Salad With Grilled Italian Sausage
Hands on: 30 minutes Total time: 30 minutes Serves: 4
Salt
1 cup pearled farro
4 sweet Italian sausages
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
Ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese
6 plum tomatoes, diced
1 medium cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped
2 green onions, diced (whites and greens)
1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano
1 to 2 tablespoons toasted sliced almonds
Bring 4 cups salted water to a boil. Add farro and cook for 15 minutes, or until the grains are plumped and chewy. Drain and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat a grill or grill pan to medium-high. Add sausages and cook until browned on all sides, about 8 minutes. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and pepper to taste. Mix in the feta cheese.
Add farro to bowl and mix well. Set aside for 5 minutes to cool slightly.
Mix in the tomatoes, cucumber, green onions and oregano. Cut the sausages into 1-inch rounds, then add those to the salad. Sprinkle almonds on the salad.
Per serving: 560 calories (percent of calories from fat, 50), 28 grams protein, 46 grams carbohydrates, 7 grams fiber, 31 grams fat (10 grams saturated), 60 milligrams cholesterol, 910 milligrams sodium.
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