Farro in a Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil & Pecorino Romano

Farro in a Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil & Pecorino Romano Recipe

The first time I pitched this dish to one of my clients and told her that she and her family would fall in love with a steaming dish of farro in a fresh tomato sauce she looked at me and simply asked, "farro? Really? You’re going to use your fresh tomato sauce on FARRO?"As I picked fresh tomatoes from my garden with my cousins over Labor Day Weekend, I knew I had to make this dish for my family that day. I told them of my plan, and right away someone responded, making eye contact with the juicy red tomatoes, "maybe wait to test this recipe when these are no longer in season and you are recipe testing with canned tomatoes." I knew that they were being crazy and that it was time to bring this comeback grain back to my dinner table.

My 2 year old cousin Jackson enjoys our garden tomatoes.

As a chef and a food lover, I adore farro for its roasted nutty flavor, delicate chew, and versatility. First of all, I believe that one of the reasons farro has a leg up on most grains is because it's Italian and has more of a sexiness to it than most of the others (How can farro be sexy? Didn't I mention that it is Italian?) It is definitely sexier than say... kasha (no disrespect to my fellow Jewish peeps... Jews are sexy too in spite of kasha varnitchkes).

After all, this is the first farro to rule the Jews since Moses led them out of Egypt.

Sorry, I tried not to add that but I couldn't help myself.

So what exactly is farro? According to Ancient Grains for Modern Meals (Ten Speed Press, 2011), by Maria Speck, who writes that the term farro is “commonly used when referring to three ancient wheat varieties first cultivated in the Fertile Crescent and still grown in Italy: farro piccolo (also known by the German einkorn), farro medio (also known as emmer, the Hebrew word for mother), and farro grande (also known as spelt).” With a higher fiber and protein content than wheat that is more commonly used, farro is also especially rich in magnesium and B vitamins. Farro was actually eaten in ancient Roman times and was a grain for the poor. It's funny that some of the healthiest and most delicious of foods were once only for the peasants.

Farro comes whole/unpearled, prelato, or pearled and also semi-perlato, or semi-pearled, meaning it retains some, but not all of its bran and nutrients. Many recipes call for semi-pearled farro since it eliminates the tedious soaking process and puts your dish on the table a lot faster.

I am urging you to go out and get some locally grown tomatoes while the gettin' is good, because it won't be long before that window closes and you're left with colorless, tasteless, sad tomatoes that you can inconveniently find at your grocery store.

This dish is simple to make and people may think you're fancy (in a good way) because you made farro instead of typical, run of the mill, pasta. There are so many things you can do to this dish to add your own little twist! You can add a poached egg on top! You can add beans or even peas at the end. I can't wait to hear what you come up with! This recipe is only slightly tweaked from thesmittenkitchen.com.

Also, a quick shout out to my little brother, Matthew who turns 23 today (and isn't technically so little as he stands at 6'3'' and has a size 15 shoe, but he will always be "little" to me). He is my greatest editor and the best gift my parents could have ever given me. This post is dedicated to you.

"Editor's note: Thanks, Michele!"

Author: Michele Wolfson

Farro in a Fresh Tomato Sauce with Basil & Pecorino Romano

Author: Michele Wolfson but tweaked from thesmittenkitchen.com As mentioned above, pearling describes how much of the exterior bran is removed, but some packages are not labeled. If your package says it will cook in less than 15 minutes, it's most likely pearled; if it takes around 30 minutes, it’s probably semi-pearled. And if it takes 60 to 80 minutes, it is whole or unpearled. This recipe works for all three versions, but in this recipe I used semi-pearled farro. In any event, if your package gives you a different cooking time than the 30 minutes suggested below, use those instructions instead. Yield: Serves 6 as a hearty side and 3-4 as a main course

Ingredients

2 cups semi-pearled farro + water seasoned with salt (see Note above for farro types)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large white or yellow onion thinly sliced (read below in method)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 1/2 to 2 lbs ripe tomatoes, cut into chunks (read below in method)
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated pecorino romano cheese, for serving

Instructions

Soak farro for 5-7 minutes in water while you prepare your other ingredients.
Cut onion in half and then in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Press or mince garlic cloves as well. Quarter tomatoes and then slice each quarter in half.
Go back to your farro and cook it in a small pot according to package.
In a large pot add your oil and put heat on medium. Add onions and cook for 3 minutes. Add garlic for one minute and watch so it doesn't brown.
Add tomatoes and add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.
When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a delicate chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, cook it for 5-7 additional minutes, until farro is more tender. Add farro to the fresh tomato sauce.
Transfer to a large serving bowl. Scatter with basil and pecorino romano. Enjoy!

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