Farro is an ancient variety of wheat, usually sold and prepared with its whole grain intact, meaning you are eating the grain kernel plus its germ and bran—a great way to get fiber and lots of vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, good-for-you plant compounds. When cooked, farro has a chewy, al dente texture and nutty flavor. Use it in salads, soups, risottos, and pilafs like this fantastic one from Joyce Goldstein, Farro with Butternut Squash and Chestnuts.
Farro
makes 3 cups cooked farro
Ingredients
- 6 cups water
- 2 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 1½ cups farro
Instructions
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Bring water to boil in a large saucepan. Sprinkle in the salt and the farro. Cook until farro is tender, start testing at 15 minutes. You want the farro grains to be chewy, but not hard. Drain the water and you're ready to serve or use in another recipe. Alternatively, you can cool to room temperature and refrigerate for up to a week.
Recipe Notes / Tips
- Farro loves browned butter and sage. Melt butter and cook until golden brown, add the cooked farro, some sage (fresh or dried) and cook on the stovetop over medium-high heat until farro is hot. The grains become crunchy outside but keep their chewy center. Serve with roasted winter squash, nuts and/or salty cheese like feta or ricotta salata.
- Use cooked farro as a substitute for cooked rice or wheatberries in salad recipes
- Updated July 2016: Farro is not the same as spelt. They are both ancient varieties of wheat, but farro is a different variety and cooks faster. Jenny, from Nourished Kitchen, clears up some of the misunderstanding in this post.
- Sometimes you’ll see the term “perlato” or “semi-perlato” on bags of farro. This means that some of the bran has been removed for faster cooking and softer texture.