Like most people, I am continually faced with the daily dilemma of what to make for dinner, what to make that’s new, and what to make that is tasty, as well as healthy. Most often I arrive at the “same-old, same-old.”

Until recently, that is, when my husband and I were introduced to farro in California’s Napa Valley, a mecca for wine enthusiasts and serious foodies.  No big surprise then, that for us, this mystery grain described by the staff at the Meadowood Restaurant as “risotto like” was something we had never experienced. Assured by the restaurant’s recent reopening to stellar reviews,  I knew that whatever “farro” was, it would taste extra-ordinary. Guess what?

I have been eatting it ever since– at home!  My husband and I more than evercare about the source and the purity of the foods we eat and farro is a food that keeps moving up the food chain in our lives.  Almost as fun as eatting farro is thinking about it.

Consider farro, and discover yourself  in biblical times, in ancient mesopotamia,  2500 years ago.  Farro falls into the category of “Triticum Dicoccum,” or “emmer” which is  an awned wheat, and emmer, with its’ bristle frog leg-like structure is traceable to the cradle of civilization. The history books explain that this unhybridized grain is one of the original grains from which all others divine, domesticated in the region between the Tigris River and the Euphrates River, referred to as the Fertile Crescent, or and what is now modern day Iraq, North East Syria, South East Turkey, parts of Jordan, Israel, Egypt and Iran.

Jump ahead a few millennia and emmer feeds the Roman Legions as they conquer the Near East.  Then imagine, the pressing pillage schedule for the soldiers and cooking preparation becomes an issue. HAH! : a fast food becomes the hit  for the armies in the form of spelt, also an awned wheat but requires less boiling time. Thus spelt replaces farro and is eatten on the run.

In the 1980’s, the French Savoie, ( literally translated as those who know so much: and perhaps about food they knew more than most),  reintroduces this nutty and hearty grain into the soups and salads of the gastronomically demanding.  Word spread and today it is the Italian farmer who primarily grows today’s farro of choice from the mountainous Garafagnana regions of upper Tuscany that supplies our gourmet markets. And oh, I almost forgot to metion that sex (certo!) also plays a part in the legacy of farro. Claims, proven or unproven (who knows for sure?) have been made that farro boosts virility and enhanced physical prowess! Mama mia!  Well, okay, there does seem to be actual health benefits to this wondrous food.  

Farro experts claim its health benefits result from the unhybridized genetic makeup of this specific wheat, which bears less gluten. Little known is that in the United States approximately one in every 200 persons has wheat intolerant Celiac disease, a condition which results in an immune system that cannot tolerate gluten.  Farro seems to be one wheat based food resource that is tolerable for individuals who may experience the unpleasant allergic symptoms that result from present day manufactured versions of wheat.

Farro has edged out rice or pasta choices in our kitchen because we feel less full when we eat it, but well-fed. READ MY LIPS: NO BLOW-UP.   I eat alot and hate to say no to any food. But since I have mostly replaced pasta and rice with farro, I can honestly say it is easier for me to manage my wieght. My jeans fit better!

If your next daily dilemma is what to make for dinner, consider farro: it may be old (very), but certainly not the same!

FARRO WITH SAUTEED MIXED VEGETABLES

Preparation: 20 minutes        Cook Time: 30 minutes

1 c                   Farro *

2-3  c              Chicken or beef stock

1 Tbsp             Coarse (Kosher) salt

1 Tbsp             Butter (optional)

3 Tbsp             Olive oil

3 cloves          Finely chopped garlic

1 c                   Diced eggplant

1 c                   Diced zucchini

1 c                   Diced yellow squash

1 c                   Coarse chopped mushrooms (any type)

Salt/Pepper to taste

1. Place Farro, 2 1/2 cups of stock, salt and butter in a small pot and bring to a light boil. Stir once and lower heat to a simmer and cover. In about 30 minutes, stir and make sure the mixture is still liquid. If not, add some stock. Check and stir every 15 minutes until the Farro is soft but slightly firm to taste (about 1 hour total time). It will never be as soft as rice. When finished, it is okay if some liquid remains. Remove pot from heat and keep covered.

2. About 15 minutes before the Farro is finished, heat olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook until its fragrance is liberated (about 2 minutes).

3. Add the vegetables, one type at a time, every 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms last. Sautee and toss everything and cook until slightly firm.

4. Add the Farro to the vegetables and mix. Salt and pepper to taste.

5. Serve with salmon, lamb, roasted chicken, or beef. It goes with everything!

* Serve it alone, as a side, or “a la vegetarian” combined with steamed or sautéed veggies. Farro is available “whole” and “semipearled” and bears the Indiazione Geografica Protetta, or  L’ Auorizione Artigianale, national Italian certifications which establishes the grain’s geographic identity and authenticity.  Farro can usually be found in Italian and gourmet markets and Whole Foods. If unavailable in your area, it can be ordered on line at deandeluca.com.