Unique ingredients intrigue me. Give me a vegetable or grain I haven’t seen before and it’s bound to show up in my shopping basket. This was the case a few weeks ago at the Pennsylvania Dutch Farmers Market. Bags of grains lined the wall of one stand and a bag of farro caught my eye. All I knew at that point was that the name might be Italian, and sounded a lot more appealing than kamut or spelt. My research revealed that farro (pronounced FARH-oh) was a staple of ancient Egypt, a type of wheat brought to Europe by Julius Caesar. It was said to have fed the Roman Legion but soon fell out of favor because it is a low yielding crop. In recent years farro has experienced a resurgence.Grown mostly in Tuscany and Umbria, the small plump grains have a nutty flavor that is perfect in soups, stews and salads. Farro comes either whole grain, pearled or semi-pearled. Pearled means that the hull is removed from the grain and results in a shorter cooking time. The Aleppo pepper in the recipe is a new favorite ingredient of mine and definitely worth trying. Aleppo pepper is from northern Syria and it is a crushed, slightly oily dried pepper. It has a complex flavor that doesn’t overpower with a moderate heat level, some fruitiness and cumin undertones. I used a French feta cheese in this recipe. It is a sheep’s milk cheese and is much creamier and milder than the supermarket garden-variety. I have found it both at Wegmans and at the Middle Eastern stand at the local Pennsylvania Dutch farmer’s market.
We have a bumper crop of broccoli this year, the plants look great and they are yielding beautiful heads and after they are picked, a good amount of side growth. . In this recipe the broccoli is roasted, and combined with farro, feta cheese and a simple vinaigrette. I added some chopped tamari almonds for some crunch. The contrasts of creamy, chewy and the caramelized broccoli made for a delicious salad.
Roasted Broccoli and Farro Salad
adapted slightly from Fine Cooking Magazine #107
Ingredients
- 3/4 c farro (either pearled or whole grain)
- 1 lb broccoli, cut into bite-sized pieces including the stems
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1T Aleppo pepper
- 3T extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 crumbled feta
- 2 scallions, thinly sliced, white and light green part only
- 2T coarsely chopped fresh flat-leaved parsley
- 1-2T red wine vinegar
- 1/3 c coarsely chopped tamari almonds
Directions
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 2 quarts of well salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the farro and cook until tender, 20 to 30 minutes for pearled and 45 to 60 minutes for whole grain. Drain well and transfer to a large bowl.
- Toss the broccoli in a large bowl with 2T olive oil, kosher salt, a grind of pepper and the Aleppo pepper. Transfer to a baking sheet and roast under tender, checking pan several times to ensure even browning. I use a spatula to toss things around to be certain all sides are getting brown.
- Add the broccoli, feta, scallions, parsley to the farro, Sprinkle with a tablespoon or so of red wine vinegar and toss. Drizzle with remaining olive oil, sprinkle almonds on top and toss. Season to taste, adjusting seasonings as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.