Farro

“What’s farro?” I asked, perusing the menu.  

This was my first ever job in a real kitchen, in a little French place down in Tribeca.  The Chef had given me a copy of the menu, marking the dishes that I would be involved with.  Being an unschooled stagiaire, I didn’t recognize all the words on the menu.  I underlined the foreign terms with my red pen, and asked the lead line cook about them.

“Its a grain.” answered the rusty-haired cook as he laid down some fat duck breasts into several hot, carbon steel pans strewn about the stove burners.  ”Kind of like arborio, but not really, much heartier.  And its supposed to be f***ing healthy as s*** for you, too.  Make sure you try some.”

Heh, not all cooks are as elegant as the foods they cook in NYC, regardless of talent or finesse…

The other day, I was preparing some Gesiers d’oie that a generous friend had given me (the verdict coming very soon to a blog near you).  ”Just serve them with a salad,” said my friend.  Well, considering that my husband and I are not rabbits, our salad with the gesiers needed some starch to keep our stomachs from growling again within an hour.  I considered using potatoes, but then I remembered the unopened bag of farro in my cupboard.  I had brought it all the way from San Francisco, from a wonderful little place called Boulettes Larder.  I had forgotten all about it.  Time to cook some of this wonderful grain that I had not eaten since my stage, which was long, long ago.

I opened the bag and my goodness, the aroma alone from these uncooked little brown kernels of wholesomeness was staggering.  All of a sudden I was standing in a sunny field of wheat in Italy, just inhaling the aroma like a drug-addict.  I’m not kidding.  Wheaty, nutty, hearty, bold, rustic, reminiscent of barley, but even better.  I seriously could’ve just jumped into a barrel of farro right then.

With clouded memory I proceeded to cook this hard-to-find, expensive-but-worth-it grain in two different ways.  One with some chicken stock, salt and fresh herbs.  I ended up with this:

Fairly starchy, almost risotto-like.  I used a 2:1 ratio of stock to grain, and simmered it covered with the occasional stir.  I allowed the liquid to absorb and cook out, which left a chewy, tender texture.  Some say that its better when pre-soaked overnight, which I will try sometime.  Overall as a hot accompaniment,this was perfect for my taste.  Hot farro would be quite versatile with any meat or fish, or ideal for a vegetarian option (sub the chix with vegetable stock, of course.)

I also cooked a portion of farro in some boiling water with salt, the ratio being about 4:1, water:grain.  Drained it once al dente, spread it out on a sheetpan and let it cool.  This farro was used for the gesiers salad.  Using ingredients I had in house, I mixed in cherry tomatoes, haricot verts, shallots, parsley and orange zest:

Overall I prefer farro hot, but cold would do just fine in the summertime.  I’m no vegetarian, nor could I ever be one, but if I had to be one, farro would definitely be on the menu in place of meat.  Its high in protein, fiber and nutrients, and tastes MIGHTY good.

FARRO, HOT
3 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 1/2 C farro
1/4 tsp salt
1 small fresh bay leaf
2-3 sprigs fresh thyme

Combine ingredients in a medum size pot.  Bring to a simmer and cover.  Cook until all dente, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove herbs, season to taste and serve immediately.

Suggestion for use:  Pretty much everything!

FARRO, COLD
1 1/2 C farro
4-5 C water
1 tbl shallot, minced
1 tbl parsley, chopped
orange zest to taste
1 C haricot vert
1 C cherry tomatoes, cut into wedges
red wine vinaigrette, to taste
salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Place the water in a large pot, salt lightly, and bring to a boil.  Add the farro, and cook until al dente, about 15-20 minutes.  Drain well, spread on a sheetpan and cool.

Combine all ingredients.  Serve.

Suggestion for use:  Duck in any form, confit, roasted duck breast, gesiers if you can find or make them…

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