- Food: Farro
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Writer: Alice
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Content-Type: Food Blog
This step-by-step tutorial will teach you how to cook farro.
Find my preferred farro dishes as well as other serving ideas for this mouthwatering grain.
Have you got preferred whole grain? I adore all grains, from millet to quinoa, but if I had to pick one, I believe farro would be it.
It has a wonderful chewy texture and nutty flavor, and it is filling and substantial. I like it all year round, but the fall is when it truly starts to become a culinary staple.
With autumnal fruit like squash, apples, and kale, its toasted flavor is delectable. Cozy herbs like sage, rosemary, and thyme are also ideal partners.
Toss it into salads, add it to bowls, or incorporate it into your upcoming fall soup if you’ve never tried it before.
RECIPE FOR FARRO
I prepare farro using a similar technique to how I prepare spaghetti. However, I’ve found that the finest results come from just boiling water, adding the grain, and cooking it until it’s cooked. Some recipes swear by using a certain number of cups of water for every cup of grain. Here is my simple, time-tested way of cooking farro:
- Rinse the dried farro first. Add it to a sieve with a fine mesh, then rinse it under cold water.
- The cooking can now begin! The rinsed grains should be added to a pot of boiling, salted water on the fire. Cook until they are soft and chewy but still have a bite to them that is al dente. Depending on the age and variety of your farro, the cooking time will change.
- The grains should then be drained and placed on a large plate or baking sheet. For about 20 minutes, spread them out in a single layer to cool and dry. If you skip this step, your grains will continue to steam, which may cause them to become mushy.
When it is cool, either store it in the refrigerator for later use or start eating it right now!
FARRO ADVICE
- Be aware of the type of farro you have. Three varieties of farro are generally offered in grocery stores: whole, semi-pearled, and pearled. From 15 minutes for pearled to 40 minutes for full, the cooking periods for each are very different. You don’t want your farro to be too hard or too mushy, so be sure to know what sort you have when you buy it. Start tasting it for doneness at the 15-minute mark if you are unsure of the sort you have, then work your way up from there.
- Cook in bulk and freeze. When it comes to menu planning lunch or putting together a quick dinner, having a supply of cooked grains on hand is invaluable. Farro that has been cooked will last for 5 days in the refrigerator and much longer in the freezer. Spread the grains out in a single layer on a baking sheet and place it in the freezer for at least two hours to freeze. You can keep the grains in a freezer-safe container after they have been frozen. The grains will freeze in a huge clump if you skip the initial freeze on the baking sheet.
- Before serving, dress properly. I enjoy dressing my farro with a variety of sauces, including chimichurri, cilantro lime dressing, and lemon vinaigrette (recipe below). If you’re going to dress yours, make sure to do it soon before serving because the flavor of dressed grains deteriorates in the refrigerator. But don’t worry if you have any leftovers! Just add a little extra lemon or lime juice and salt and pepper before serving.
FAVOURITE RECIPES FOR FARRO
The recipe below is my preferred method: For a fun variation, feel free to add crumbled feta or goat cheese, dried cranberries or sour cherries, or your favorite nuts. I like tossing it with a zingy lemon dressing and lots of fresh herbs.
It’s delicious with my kale salad in the fall and winter and with my Greek or broccoli salad in the spring and summer once it’s been dressed. I serve it as a side dish with grilled or roasted vegetables or a hearty salad.
If I’m not serving it as a side dish, I prefer to add it to bowls and salads.
To make a quick, wholesome supper, top plain or herbed farro with your favorite roasted vegetables (maybe butternut squash, cauliflower, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or tomatoes? ), a protein such as roasted chickpeas, and a tasty sauce such as tahini sauce, tzatziki, or hummus. Additionally, you may add it to any salad or blend it into a hearty vegetable soup.
Please share any farro dishes you attempt with me.
FARRO
Find out how to prepare farro consistently well! You may also add it to salads, bowls, soups, and other dishes. Toss it with the zingy lemon dressing, and the herbs indicated below.
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Serves: 4
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INGREDIENTS
FOR THE FARRO:
- 1 cup uncooked farro, rinsed
LEMON HERB DRESSING:
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tablespoon lemon juice, more to taste
- 1/2 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1 garlic clove, grated
- 1/4 teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, more to taste
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped parsley
- pinch of red pepper flakes, optional
INSTRUCTIONS
- Farro should be prepared as follows: Bring water in a medium pot to a boil after filling it half full. Add the farro, lower the heat, and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes for pearled farro, 20 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro, and up to 40 minutes for whole farro, or until the farro is soft, and chewy, but still a bite to it.
- Drain, then lay out to cool and dry for 20 minutes on a big platter or sheet pan. This prevents it from continuing to steam, which would otherwise turn it mushy.
- Make the lemon-herb dressing by combining the olive oil, lemon juice, thyme, garlic, mustard, salt, and pepper in the bottom of a sizable mixing basin. Farro should be added and tossed. Add the parsley and red pepper flakes, if desired. Serve after adding seasoning to taste.
NOTES
Refrigerate cooked farro for up to 5 days. It should be frozen in a single layer on a baking sheet first, then transferred to a freezer container.