Farro: Rome's ancient grain

Farro is an ancient Roman grain, often confused with emmer (wheat) or spelt.  Grown for years in Lazio and Umbria, it went out of favor until some hot shot chef decided to include it on his menus, and the rest is history.  Small farmers in Umbria began growing farro again, and it has now made its way across the pond and we are seeing it in salads, sautes, desserts (think rice pudding) and even 'quasi' risottos.  Not only is it the "it" grain, it is also really good for you, whether you add it to soups, or vegetable dishes or use it in place of riso for risotto, its antioxidants, and minerals are all building blocks and should be part of your diet.
You can buy farro in specialty markets, I bought mine at Mona Lisa here in San Diego, an Italian grocer, or you can order it online from here.

Simple to cook, I will cook 2 cups of farro in boiling salted water for 12 minutes.  It has a nice resistance at that point, and can be added to other dishes to become a bit softer.   Any leftover cooked farro freezes, and you can have it on hand to make any number of other dishes, or dress with good olive oil and toss in some fresh herbs for a side dish.

Farro with Kale
Serves 6
This recipe is inspired by one from Lynn Rosetto Kasper's The Splendid Table website  
I've tweaked it a bit to fit my family's preferences, but you can add and subtract here as you wish.  I like to serve this at room temperature.  

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
One 1/2-inch slice pancetta, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup (about 1 small) onion finely chopped
One bunch kale, tough stems discarded and finely chopped into ribbons
1/4 cup white wine
grated zest of 1 lemon
2 cups cooked farro
1/3 cup golden raisins
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

In a large skillet, heat the oil and saute the pancetta, until it is crispy.

 Add the garlic and onion, and saute until the onion begins to turn golden, about 5 minutes.

 
Add the kale and wine, cover and cook over medium heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the kale is wilted, add the farro, raisins, and pine nuts, tossing to combine and heat through.

 
Taste for seasoning adding salt or pepper if needed. Serve the farro as a bed for grilled anything, or as a side dish at room temperature.
Cook's Notes: 

•  If you would like to use another green, collards, Swiss chard, or spinach will all work here. 
• Any leftovers are great tossed with a bit of vinaigrette to serve alongside some grilled veggies for dinner.
• If you would like to have a vegetarian farro, omit the pancetta, and use a bit more olive oil for sauteing.   

Some Real Fishy Dinners

Still Cloudy in San Diego

This week has been a whirlwind of appointments and meetings, and so dinners have had to be quick, and satisfying.  Yesterday I had some imported porcini mushroom ravioli that I'd picked up at Mona Lisa, some shrimp from the freezer, and home made pesto that I'd made over the weekend.  Put them all together and we had a delicious dinner!  

Pesto Scampi
Serves 4

One 8-ounce package fresh pasta (linguine or fettucine work here, as well as ravioli) cooked al dente
1/3 cup fresh basil pesto
16 jumbo shrimp (you can certainly add a few more if you like)
1/4 cup heavy cream
salt and pepper to taste
Freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano (optional) for garnish

In a skillet, heat the pesto over medium heat, and add the shrimp, turning the shrimp until they turn pink.  

Add the cream, and season with salt and pepper to taste.  

Add the pasta to the skillet, and turn the pasta in the sauce, cooking for 2 to 3 minutes. 

 Serve the pasta garnished with cheese if desired.

  
Cook's Note: Italians do not serve cheese over seafood pastas, but I think that the cheese gives the dish a bit of a lift.    

Beautiful sunsets

Tonight I had some gorgeous wild Alaskan halibut from Pt.Loma Seafoods.  I made my signature 10 minute fish, baked with crispy crumbs, in a garlic, oil and lemon sauce. This is a simple, delicious way to serve fish to your family, and it only takes 10 minutes in a 400 degree oven.  

Ten Minute Fish
Serves 4

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 1/3 pound thick fleshed fish (halibut, cod, salmon, sea bass)
1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano
2 tablespoons finely chopped Italian parsley
3 leaves fresh basil, finely chopped 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  In a small bowl, combine the butter, oil, garlic, Old Bay and lemon juice.   Pour 2 tablespoons of the mixture into the bottom of a baking dish, and reserve the rest.  
Lay the fish into the pan, and drizzle another tablespoon or two of the butter mixture over the fish.  In a bowl, toss together the bread crumbs, cheese, parsley and basil.  Press the mixture onto the fish and drizzle with the remaining garlic butter mixture.  Bake the fish for 10 to 12 minutes, until the center registers 165 degrees on an instant read meat thermometer.  Allow the fish to rest for 5 minutes before cutting into portions and serving with lemon wedges. 

Halibut is a great fish to try for a first timer; it tastes like chicken---no kidding!  The rule of thumb for cooking fish is 10 minutes per inch of thickness of the fish.  The only exception to that rule is sea bass with a different protein structure---it will cook twice as long, and not dry out.  

   As we enter the weekend, I hope you enjoy every minute.  I'll see you back here next week, until then buona notte from San Diego.