Farro Five Ways Friday
grains on the brains
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Hello My Farro-Feathered Friends!
Storytime: a couple of weeks ago, I was out to dinner at Daphne’s (delish, you should go), and got to chatting with one of the lovely staff there, who told me that she watches my videos while she meal preps on Sundays. Super sweet, I love to hear it, I’ll happily be your passive watching/background audio till the end of time! Of course I needed to know what she meal preps, because as a notorious non-prep-person, I am both resolute in my position and also interested in having my opinion changed. (Exactly how I am about chicken liver—don’t like! Willing to keep trying.) Well, she said, and I’m paraphrasing, it’s hard to decide exactly what she wants to eat for the week, so she does batches of things—like lentils, eggs, grains—that can be turned into a meal at the opportune moment. YES, I shouted, this is the way! And then I told her that I was working on exactly that idea for a newsletter, using farro, and it would have a master cooking method and five recipe ideas.
Well, the dinner date was almost two weeks ago, but this is that post. I wrote about my turn away from meal prepping in Where Cooking Begins—an evolution that became the foundation of my shopping and cooking strategy, summed up here in The Case for Small- Batch Cooking.
I could finally admit to myself that I never enjoyed big-batch cooking. It felt like work, and it kept me from enjoying my time off on the weekends. Instead of a place to supersize everything, my kitchen became balanced among several categories that added up to the makings of a meal. I made sure I always had varied options: pantry items (grains, beans, canned tomatoes, dried noodles), produce that could hang out on the kitchen counter (like squash, avocados, sweet potatoes), a mix of delicate produce (herbs, salad greens, cucumbers) to use first, and hardy produce (broccoli, red cabbage, and carrots) that would last a little longer. Instead of being filled to the hilt with containers of homemade soups, stews, and braises, the freezer held nuts, homemade stock, cooked grains, bacon, leftover wine, butter, and Parmigiano rinds. …I started shopping smaller and more frequently, which—as it turns out—is the most efficient, least wasteful way to buy groceries.
About those grains: this basic method can be used to cook farro (shown below), barley, rye berries, spelt berries, brown rice, freekeh, millet, amaranth, qunioa (a seed, but whatever), etc.
It is simple: boil grain in lots of salted water until done.
What to shop for: I prefer unpearled grains, which means the hull is intact. If it’s “pearled,” that means the outside has been abraded. Pearled grains will cook more quickly, a plus, but I prefer the chewy outer bran and the liquid gets less starchy. hasn’t been abraded. Both are good!
What to put in the water: Salt is required. Not as salty as pasta water. Just season the water. If you want to, add freshly ground pepper, olive oil, a garlic clove, half an onion, a bundle of herb stems, a lemon peel, and/or rendered animal fat, such as schmaltz.
How long will it take: Depends on the grain, whether it’s been pearled or not, and how long it’s been hanging around in your pantry. The farro I used took 35 minutes. Most packages will give you a ballpark range.
How do you know when they’re done: When the grains are tender with some chew, they are done. You can cook longer and let them unfurl completely, if that’s your preference.
After cooking: Cool the grains on a rimmed baking sheet, then refrigerate in an airtight container for 4-ish days, or freeze for up to 6 months.
Very important thing no one tells you: Save the grain-cooking liquid. It’s delicious. You can use it to reheat your grains another day, or to cook another batch of grains, or add it to bean-cooking liquid, or use it to deglaze a pan, or as part of the dressing for a grain salad (these last two uses are shown in my video).
Another important thing you might not know: Acidic ingredients can toughen the hull of the grains, even if you cook them until they’re perfectly tender. That means that once the grains are dressed with vinaigrette, lemon juice, or anything that contains vinegar, they should be eaten within a couple of days.
Cook a Meal, or Five!
ONE: MAKE A GRAIN SALAD
Here’s how to make the Farro Salad with Mushrooms, Peas, and Pesto, as seen in the video.
Cook 1 cup farro (or more!) in boiling salted water until tender. Reserve cooking liquid. Let farro cool. (NB: 1 cup dried farro will yield around 3 cups cooked and drained. If scaling up, remember to use 3 cups in the grain salad, or adjust other quantities to match.)
While you wait for the farro to cook, cook 8 ounces mushrooms, trimmed and torn into bite-size pieces, in some olive oil, seasoned with salt and pepper. Once they’ve taken on some color, I like to cover the pan to finish cooking them through, which keeps them juicy. Add 1 cup shelled peas (frozen is great) and toss to coat, then add about 1 cup of reserved grain cooking liquid and use a spoon to scrape up any browned bits from the pan. Simmer the liquid until the peas are hot and plump, about 2 minutes, then squeeze in the juice of 1/2 lemon. Remove from heat.
Put the farro in a medium bowl and add the mushroom-pea mixture. Toss to combine. Add about 1/2 cup Pistachio Pesto (recipe below) and toss it through the grains and vegetables until evenly distributed. Top with some toasted pistachios (or any nut you like), then use a vegetable peeler to shave some Grana Padano or Parmigiano over.
Farro Salad with Mushrooms, Peas, and Pesto will hold in the fridge for about 3 days.
TWO: WHIP UP A STIR FRY
Fried Grains with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Kimchi
THREE: FAST-TRACK A CUTE LITTLE SOUP
FOUR: JUST ADD BEANS
Pantry Stew with Farro and Beans
FIVE: TAKE IT TO A BREAKFAST PLACE
I love love love cooked grains as hot cereal. To make your grains less savory, cook them in boiling water with just a pinch of salt, a couple teaspoons of sugar, brown sugar, honey, or maple syrup, and a few wide strips of orange and/or lemon zest. Cool them in the liquid (remove the citrus first), and use that liquid to reheat the grains. Top with dried fruit and nuts, berries and a dollop of yogurt, or cream and brown sugar. Or some of everything.
OH ALSO: Happy resurrection weekend to all who celebrate.
My personal renaissance? ON. Very on.
xoxCarla
The recipe for Pistachio Pesto is posted below for paid subscribers. Thank you for supporting my work! This newsletter would not exist without you.
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