Joyce Goldstein cooked with farro long before ancient grains became a thing. Hailing from the early days of Chez Panisse, she went on to open her San Francisco restaurant, Square One (1984), where she married Mediterranean techniques with the agricultural bounty of California. I had the good fortune to attend a few of her cooking classes, and this is my favorite dish.
Farro is a blanket term that refers to ancient varieties of wheat berries (emmer, einkorn, and spelt) that have been pearled (or semi-pearled, which just means that some or all of the bran has been removed from the wheat berry, which cuts down on cooking time) and are intended to be cooked and served as whole grains. Farro has a chewy texture, delicious nutty flavor, and is high in fiber and protein.
I buy farro from Montana company, Timeless Natural Food, and a similar grain, sprouted spelt, from Conservation Grains. Depending on what I have on hand in the pantry, I’ve been known to combine farro with the sprouted spelt to get enough for a recipe. Sprouted spelt is not pearled which means that the cooking time will tend to be slightly longer than with farro. When you’re cooking whole grains, keep forks handy for taste tests; stop cooking when grains are al dente, and drain off any excess water.
(Originally published in October 2016)
Farro with Chestnuts and Butternut Squash
Ingredients
- 1 small (1-2 lb) or 1/2 large (3 lb) butternut squash, seeded, peeled and diced into 1-inch chunks or use 1 lb. Root Cellar Foods prepared butternut squash, "large dice"
- 3 cups water
- 1½ cups uncooked farro or sprouted spelt from Conservation Grains or some of each
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 yellow onion, diced small
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage leaves or 1 heaping teaspoon dried, crumbled
- 1 cup roasted or steamed chestnuts or use fresh chestnuts, roasted and peeled
- 2 cups broth (chicken or vegetable) Swanson's low sodium is ideal
- 2-4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss squash pieces in 1 tablespoon olive oil and tumble out onto a sheet pan. Bake for 15 minutes which will partially cook the squash.
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Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium sized saucepan with lid. Rinse the farro with water, drain and add to the pot with the salt. Cover the pot and bring back to boil then remove lid, lower the heat to maintain a gentle simmer, and cook until the farro is just tender, al dente, about 15 minutes (more like 25 for sprouted spelt). Drain off water and set aside. Yields about 3 cups cooked farro.
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Heat the butter and olive oil in a large, deep sauté pan or dutch oven set over medium heat. Add the onions and sage and cook for 10 minutes, until the onions are soft and translucent.
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Add the cooked farro and broth to the onions, and bring to a boil. Add the chestnuts and partially cooked squash, and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover the pan leaving a small air gap, and cook at a slow simmer until most of the broth as been absorbed. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper.
