The cold weather’s finally kicked in and I celebrated its arrival by indulging a liiiittle too much in comfort food…I’m talking about all those Northern Italian hearty dishes I missed so much last year, when I was in Florida. Cooking or eating polenta, frico con le patate, or salame con l’aceto in hot and humid weather just didn’t feel right. Some dishes are meant to be eaten when it’s cold out — which reminds me of that time when I ordered a soupe a l’oignon in a restaurant in Paris on a particularly hot summer night. I’m not sure how my friend Raina was able to keep her composure in front of my regretful and sweat-dripping face.
The other day, in an effort to satisfy my body’s cravings for a leaner type of meal, I made this tasty warm farro bowl, grilling some of the vegetables I had at home: carrots, brussel sprouts, mushrooms, broccoli, onion, and some pretty long, thin and purple eggplants (similar to Chinese eggplants). Farro is a type of grain whose nutty and hearty flavor make it an ideal base for seasonal fall salads. I love its satisfying texture — I’ll trade any quinoa salad for a farro one any day of the week!
You can easily substitute any of the veggies I used with other seasonal ones: kabocha or butternut squash would add a bit of sweetness to the dish; grilled kale, radicchio or swiss chard would provide even more textural variety. The key to this farro bowl is keeping the vegetables “al dente“…so don’t leave the grilling pan alone. (:
Only after the first bite, I realized I had put together a pretty tasty and (unintentionally) vegan dish!
Buonissimo.
- 8.8 (250 g) quick-cook farro
- 2 carrots
- 1 small purple onion
- 10 brussel sprouts
- 6-7 white mushrooms
- a handful of broccoli florets
- 4-5 asian eggplant (can sub with ½ regular eggplant)
- a small bunch of parsley, finely chopped
- 1 lemon, juiced
- salt and pepper to taste
- extra-virgin olive oil
- Peel carrots and cut them in half lengthwise. Then cut each piece in ¼-inch thick half rounds.
- Peel onion and cut it in half, lengthwise; cut onion in ¼ inch-thick slices.
- Rinse brussel sprouts, cut their stems, remove outer and blemished leaves, and cut it in quarters.
- Clean mushrooms from dirt and remove the tip of the stem. Cut each mushroom in ⅛-inch thick slices.
- Cut broccoli florets lengthwise in smaller and even pieces.
- If you're using an asian eggplant (it's long, thin and bright purple), cut it in ¼-inch thick slices. If you're using a regular eggplant, cut it in small and even cubes.
- Now that all vegetables are clean and cut, grill them separately on a grill pan, lightly brushed with extra-virgin olive oil. Cooking time varies according to the type of vegetable...Make sure they're cooked but not mushy. Sprinkle them with a bit of salt and pepper. As you cook one veggie at a time, transfer them onto a large plate.
- Bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Cook farro according to package instructions (mine took 10 minutes). Once it's cooked, drain and pour into a large pan, over medium heat. Add vegetables, lemon juice, chopped parsley and, if needed, salt and pepper. Cook farro with the vegetables for 2-3 minutes, until all flavors come together and vegetables are warm again. Serve immediately.
- In case you're wondering where you can find it, Trader Joe's sells 10 minute farro.
-While this recipe makes enough to serve five or six as a side, it will serve 3 or 4 as a main lunch salad.
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