Farro and Sun-dried Tomato Foccacia

Mediterranean in May

I’ve been wanting to bake foccacia bread for a while, so this recipe from the Vegetarian Times Cooks Mediterranean was a perfect one to try. Not only is it healthy incorporating farro into it, but also turned out quite tasty. The farro in the bread gives a nice chewy texture.

I only made half the prescribed quantity. Here is my adapted version.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup farro
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 pkg yeast
1-2 tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, minced and oil-packed
1 cup all purpose flour, plus additional for kneading
1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp brown sugar
kosher or coarse salt for the top
dried oregano, for the top
dry red pepper flakes for the top (optional)

Place the farro in a bowl, cover with water and let sit overnight.

Drain and rinse the farro, add transfer to a saucepan. Cover with 2 inches of water and bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce flame, and let simmer for about 45 minutes, until the farro is cooked. Add water as needed to prevent burning.

Meanwhile, combine warm water and yeast in a small bowl. Let sit for 5-10 minutes. Add 1 tbsp olive oil, minced sun-dried tomatoes, and sugar and mix well.

In a large bowl, mix the flours, and salt. Add the yeast mix and drained, cooked and drained Farro and mix well. Turn the flour onto a well floured surface and knead for 5 minutes, adding any flour as needed if it is sticky. Shape the flour into a ball and roll into a circle and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Cover with a towel and let it rise in a warm place for 40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Make dimples on the surface of the dough, drizzle some olive oil, sprinkle kosher salt, oregano and red pepper flakes. Bake for 20-25 minutes until the top is golden. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

 

 

Mango and Farro Salad

It’s the time of the month, to clean the refrigerator. What better way than to plan new recipes!

I’ve tried a Mango and Spinach Salad and a Mediterranean Spinach Salad. This one is a cross between the two. What better way then to combine/refresh old recipes.

Ingredients:

1/2 Mango(Mexican) chopped
1/4 Farro cooked
1/2 Orange Bell Pepper chopped
1/8 Red Onion chopped
1/8 Cucumber chopped
8-10 Cherry Tomatoes sliced or whole
1 cup baby Spinach (Optional)
2-3 tbsp Feta Cheese

Dressing

1-2 tbsp olive oil
Lemon Juice as needed
Salt and Fresh Ground Pepper

Cook the Farro as per directions, and set aside. Typically bring 1/2 cup water to boil. Add farro and cook on medium low until cooked, adding additional water as needed.

When ready to eat, combine all ingredients lightly, toss with dressing and serve on a bed of spinach!

Farro with Fennel, Brussels Sprouts and Butternut Squash

My friend recently emailed a picture of lunch she was having at a cafe in NY of farro with fennel, Brussels sprouts, butternut squash, frisee, and potatoes. It looked delectable and my friend said it was delicious. I was intrigued by the ingredients. I have never used either fennel or frisee in my cooking. Since discovering farro a little while ago I have only cooked it once before (see Mediterranean Spinach Farro salad).

I forget to buy some frisee but instead I substituted with radicchio which is another vegetable I have never used directly in my cooking. I made this with strict portion control in mind and low caloric value, so feel free to adapt to personal preference. It turned out pretty good for a one pot meal.  Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients:
1/2 cup farro
2-3 Brussels sprouts sliced thin
1/8 radicchio sliced thin
1/8 fennel sliced thin
1/8 butternut squash cut into cubes
1 garlic clove minced
1 shallot sliced
1 small potato cut into cubes
1 tsp butter
salt and fresh ground pepper

Bring 1 cup water to boil. Rinse and add the farro and cook on medium low until the farro is cooked and all the water evaporates. About 20 minutes.

In a separate pan heat the butter. Add the vegetables and light fry for a few minutes. Add salt and fresh ground pepper. Add the farro and some water and continue cooking for another 10 minutes until the vegetables soften and the water evaporates. Serve warm. Makes 2 servings.

What’s in my lunch box?

Mediterranean Spinach Farro Salad

I came across farro a while ago and bought some at the local Whole Foods store and even dug around online for some healthy and tasty recipes. That was then. The bought farro sat in a bottle on the shelf for a few months, until this week 🙂

By chance I came across this fun recipe at Williams Sonoma and for a change I had all the ingredients and it’s what was for lunch today. Here is my adapted version of it:

Ingredients:
2 cups of baby spinach
1-2 radishes sliced thin
1/4 cup farro cooked
1/4 yellow pepper sliced
1/4 cucumber peeled and sliced
6-8 cherry tomatoes
1-2 tbsp capers
feta cheese
some walnuts (optional)

Dressing:
1/2 lemon
1 tbsp olive oil
salt to taste
fresh ground pepper

Bring 1/2 cup water to boil and add the farro. Reduce heat, cover and cook the farro until the grains soften and all the water evaporates. Add more water if necessary to cook the farro. The farro can be cooked the previous day (which I did) and refrigerated. Set aside.

Whisk the lemon juice and oil with salt and pepper.

In a large bowl mix all the salad vegetables and cooked farro. Top with walnuts and feta cheese. Drizzle with dressing before serving.

Turned out pretty good. Farro is quite chewy and filling. Next time I think I will also add some raisins or dried  cranberries.