{"id":3064,"date":"2011-04-24T22:48:22","date_gmt":"2011-04-25T04:48:22","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/?p=3064"},"modified":"2019-04-29T23:00:21","modified_gmt":"2019-04-30T03:00:21","slug":"ingredient-of-the-week-farro","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/ingredient-of-the-week-farro\/","title":{"rendered":"Ingredient of the Week: Farro"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Farro\"<\/p>\n

Spring becomes more real each day and the produce available at local farmer’s markets more varied. In the front range of Colorado we’ve got the usual spring greens: spinach, mustard greens, lettuces, and arugula. The first radishes popped up at last week’s market. Gnarly Jerusalem artichokes lurk in farmer’s stalls. The aroma of green garlic wafts through the breeze. Leeks and sorrel lie in piles on the table. I greedily snatch up all the veg I can get my hands on, and once home I wonder how I will use it all before the spoiling begins. Cooking in spring is different than summer. The subtle earthy flavors of spring veg require more contemplation than the easy, outgoing summer flavors of tomatoes, peppers, and corn. Flipping through my cookbook collection, I come across forgotten recipes for that short window of cool season vegetables. A whole year has passed since I languished over what to do with a sunchoke.<\/p>\n

Craving healthy, satisfying food I turn to grains. I’m thinking of salads, spring soups, and risotto for the rainy cool days of spring. And so\u00a0 the ingredient of the week is farro, also known as emmer**. Its rich, nutty flavor and chewy, wholesome texture is a fitting pairing for spring vegetables. Farro is an ancient grain of the wheat family that is thought to be 20,000 years old.\u00a0 According to the Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion<\/a>, farro was cultivated by early Egyptians and became a dietary staple of the Roman legions during their occupation of Egypt. Over time the popularity of farro subsided with the discovery of wheat varieties that were easier to grow and higher producing. Farro is now associated with Italian cuisine in dishes like risotto, nicknamed “farroto”, as well as soups and salads. Chefs even use farro flour in fresh pasta. Farro is so much a part of Italian cuisine that the growing region of Garfagnana in Tuscany received official Geographical Indication status for farro produced there.<\/p>\n

In recent years farro has enjoyed popularity as a foodie trend<\/a> in the United States, with people flocking to restaurants to try it. But this grain is more than a passing fad. I see farro as a slow food treasure that has stood the test of time. Farro is expensive compared to other grains, at about $12\/pound, but if you look at food as precious then it’s worth the cost. The price of farro is a result of the time and effort cultivation requires, as well as the grain’s relative rarity. I would prefer to invest in these unique grains and see their continued production than see them go extinct.<\/p>\n

Look for inspiration on preparing farro with spring produce this week at la domestique. I’ve got recipes for spring farrotos, nourishing soups, and satisfying salads.\u00a0 I’m so excited to cook with farro, and especially looking forward to pairing it with Italian wines. Check back each day for a look at the intriguing story of\u00a0 this ancient grain. Until tomorrow, Ciao!<\/p>\n

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**The nomenclature and genetic history of farro is a contriversial subject with much debate. In this blog I choose to go with the definition of farro from The Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion. According to this text, farro and spelt are not the same grain.
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Spring becomes more real each day and the produce available at local farmer’s markets more varied. In the front range of Colorado we’ve got the usual spring greens: spinach, mustard greens, lettuces, and arugula. The first radishes popped up at last week’s market. Gnarly Jerusalem artichokes lurk in farmer’s stalls. The aroma of green garlic […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","spay_email":""},"categories":[156,7,91],"tags":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3064"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3064"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3064\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":19476,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3064\/revisions\/19476"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/dsweb.jessicaotoole.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}