Disclaimer: I used to be compensated by way of Tuscan Fields to increase a recipe and write a submit however the ideas and evaluations are my very own. Additionally, my timeless love for farro has existed for a number of years prior.

So, is it odd to be in love with an historic grain?

Perhaps now not if you happen to’re a dietitian. However, as a meals lover, if the grain is scrumptious, has nice texture and is flexible, it’s simple to like.

Input farro. Farro is if truth be told an overly previous number of wheat, traced again to historic Roman instances. Sometimes called “emmer”, it has a pleasing chewy texture with a nutty, fairly candy taste.

When my meals blogger friend, Aviva @ The Six O’Clock Scramble presented me to Suzanne, the rep for Tuscan Fields Farro, I knew we’d get alongside famously. (I used to be critically giddy after Suzanne despatched me some samples within the mail.) After cooking with it and studying extra concerning the Tuscan Fields tale (their farro grows at the pristine hills of southern Tuscany – sigh!), I knew I sought after to proportion main points with our readers.

Because of my Italian heritage, I’ve cooked farro prior to now; however I’ve discovered it a) exhausting to seek out and b) a tad pricey. Tuscan Fields Farro merchandise are lately to be had in Mid-Atlantic space Complete Meals and a number of distinctiveness and herbal grocery retail outlets within the Midwest at a cheap worth ($3.99 for a 9 ounce bundle.) Different issues I love specifically about Tuscan Fields:

• Comfort: The small 9 ounce programs are ideal for a circle of relatives of 4 and are easy to organize.
• Distinctive blends: The 3 types – simple farro, farro with greens, and farro with mushrooms – make wholesome cooking a snap.
• Diet: This farro is semi-pearled, because of this bran has been scored, however now not got rid of, for more straightforward cooking however nonetheless supplies 5 – 7 grams of fiber in keeping with serving. It additionally supplies 7 grams of protein together with a decrease glycemic index (so your blood sugar ranges gained’t abruptly upward push and fall.)
• Natural: Tuscany is a licensed non-GMO area and this farro is grown at the Fattoria Pieve a Salti (Pepper & Salt Farm) which could also be an agriturismo – an Italian farmhouse that’s qualified as a hotel for vacationing (I couldn’t prevent oohing and ahhing over the surroundings.)

Farro can be utilized as you possibly can cook dinner and serve rice – in an entree, as a facet dish, in soup/stew, in scorching or chilly salads, as a stuffing and even as a breakfast cereal.

This Chickpea & Vegetable Farro Soup is a stew-type dish since farro absorbs numerous liquid. In the event you desire a extra brothy soup, you’ll be able to upload extra water or broth whilst cooking.

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I served this soup as a stick-to-your ribs meal with bread and a inexperienced salad to my vegetarian sister who liked it. (And he or she lived in Italy for three years so she is aware of and adores farro, too.)

Different doable permutations for this recipe:

• use black beans, corn, tomato and cilantro for a Tex Mex taste
• upload leftover rooster or shrimp
• combine in leafy vegetables (like spinach, kale or arugula) 10 -Quarter-hour earlier than cooking time is up
• upload chopped potatoes, cauliflower and curry for an Indian twist (with a dollop of yogurt when serving)