Farro with spinach
Jan 20th, 2009 by Amy
We kicked off our new President’s inauguration with oven fried buttermilk chicken thighs, roasted sunchokes, and farro with spinach. Part of the Dark Days Challenge is to try a new vegetable in January. We finally got around to adding something new to the mix with the sunchokes (also called Jerusalem artichokes) that I purchased at the Hillsdale Farmers Market last weekend. I enjoyed them and Matt thought they were okay. It may be a while before they make a reappearance.
The farro with spinach, prepared like a risotto, appears in our meal rotation every couple of months. I have been excited to share the recipe with you for a while since its such a favorite of ours, but we’ve been out of farro. We found some Bluebird Grain Farms emmer farro at Pastaworks in Portland last weekend, so we bought a couple bags. Bluebird, based in Winthrop, WA, is the closest grower of farro that we have found sold in Oregon. Check out their website for places that carry it. Lentz Spelt Farms of Marlin, WA also sells their emmer farro on several websites. It is worth mentioning that one farmer mentioned successfully growing a small amount of emmer wheat at the Southern Valley Bean and Grain Project meeting today. I am hopeful that this project will bring us farro, beans, and a whole lot more grown right in our backyard.
Farro with spinach, adapted from Cooking Light
Serves 4
Ingredients
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 onions (red or yellow), chopped finely
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup farro
1-1/2 cups white wine (I typically use whatever I have in the fridge)
4 cups broth (chicken, turkey, or vegetable)
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
4 cups spinach (or kale, chard), chopped
1/2 cup grated parmesan, plus more to pass
Heat oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add farro and cook for 2-3 minutes. As you add wine and broth, stir frequently. Add 1 cup wine and cook down, about 3-4 minutes. Add 2 cups broth and cook down, about 12 minutes. Add remaining broth and cook down again, about 12 minutes. Add last 1/2 cup of wine and cook down. Add chopped greens and cook for 2-3 minutes. Last add 1/2 cup parmesan and mix in thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.
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I love your website! Do you have any advice for how Midwesterners can eat fresh and local during winter months?
Hi Mary-
Thanks for your note. Depending on where you live, there are a number of quarterly magazines published by Edible Communities (http://www.ediblecommunities.com/portal/index.php) that feature local farmers, markets, etc. Here is the one for Chicago: http://www.ediblechicago.com. For other places, just go to Edible Communities and see if there is one close to you.
localharvest.org is also a good place to look for CSAs, farmers markets, and other local food purveyors.
Good luck in finding local food!
You are so lucky to have varied grain sources in your zone! I feel fortunate to have my Wild Hive Farm, but I do miss having more varied grains like farro. Glad you shared your Dark Days meal with this treat.
Hi Mary,
Another strategy is to own a dedicated freezer. Many fruits and vegetables preserve very well in the freezer, and in many cases a strategy preferable to canning (time savings; integrity of flavor and appearance). The key is loading up with fresh produce from local farmers and your garden during the growing season and freezing them at their optimal level of flavor. I can attest that most locally grown foods will still taste better frozen and thawed than comparable unfrozen supermarket produce that has been in transit and sitting on shelves for who knows how long.
We prefer an upright type as opposed to a chest. More of your goods are within view and quick reach this way. Most of our meats are also sourced from locally raised animals and purchased frozen in bulk amounts direct from farmers.
This is not a new concept. My grandparents and parents shared a couple of full size dedicated freezers - they were probably 1950/60s era. They were always full, and I must admit my favorite thing in them was ice cream!
I tried making this last night. It came out good except very liquidy. The broth really didn’t “cook down” like it was supposed to. I had to drain some of the excess liquid, as there was a lot.. but it still came out great and completely edible which is a good thing and I will def make it again and try again with it.. possibly using chard or collards another time. Do you have any more explanation on how to cook down the liquids? This is my first time making a risotto or using Farro.