Moving towards a plant-based diet can be daunting; so many new vegetables, grains and ingredients to navigate. We’d like to make the journey a little less daunting by introducing and explaining, every month, a few new items you could incorporate into your meals. This month we are starting with Farro, which Melita’s Table offers as a grain choice in many of our Build Your Own menu items.
Farro is a form of wheat and considered an ancient grain. It originated in the Fertile Crescent, which stretches from the Nile River in Egypt to the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in modern Iraq. Farro was found in the tombs of Egyptian kings and has fed Italians for centuries. With the surge of interest in whole grains in the U.S., farro has become a recent buzz-word.
Farro actually represents three grains; faro piccolo (einkorn), faro medio (emmer), and faro grande (spelt). Emmer is most commonly found in U.S. supermarkets.. Whole faro needs to be soaked overnight before cooking as compared to pearled and semi-pearled, which do not need to be soaked. This small traditional grain is a nutritional powerhouse. Per ½ cup serving, farro has more protein (about 3.5g) and more fiber (about 3.5 g) than brown rice.
But don’t let all of these details scare you off! Farro is actually very easy to cook, follow the directions on the bag or throw it in the Instant Pot. I have had success with a 1 cup of semi-pearled or pearled farro to 2 cups of water, 10 minutes cook time with a natural release of 10 minutes. There are tons of recipes online for simmering soups with farro and even risotto made with farro. The options are endless, try this grain as a new side, instead of rice.
Here are a couple of links to easy farro recipes:
https://naturallyella.com/farro-risotto-roasted-butternut-squash/
https://www.lettyskitchen.com/farro-hearty-greens-soup-vegan/
Have a fabulous farro filled day!
