One Pot French Onion Farro Recipes

ONION SOUP-STYLE FARRO

Steps:

• Position a rack in the upper third of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F. Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the brandy and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes. Add the farro, Worcestershire sauce, 1/2 teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper; cook, stirring, until the farro is coated, 2 minutes. Stir in the chicken broth, 1 1/2 cups water, the bay leaf and the parmesan rind. Bring to a boil, then stir in the grated parmesan.
• Transfer the mixture to a 1 1/2-quart flameproof baking dish, cover with foil and bake until most of the liquid is absorbed and the farro is tender, about 40 minutes. Remove from the oven; discard the bay leaf and parmesan rind. Continue baking, uncovered, until all of the liquid is absorbed, about 5 more minutes. Sprinkle with the grated gruyere; turn on the broiler and broil until melted and golden brown in spots, about 1 minute. Top with the parsley.

THREE-ONION FARRO SOUP

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks, onions, scallion whites, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and a couple turns of pepper. Cover and cook, stirring every 4 or 5 minutes, until the onion is very soft, about 15 minutes. Uncover, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, adjusting the heat as necessary and stirring often, until golden brown, 35 to 40 minutes more. (Loosen and scrape up any browned onion with a splash of water as necessary.)
• Stir in the farro and wine and bring to a boil, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Add the chicken broth, beef broth, Worcestershire, bay leaves and 2 cups water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the farro is tender, about 15 minutes. Discard the bay leaves.
• Preheat the broiler to high with a rack set 4 inches from the heat source.
• Divide the soup among flame-proof serving bowls and sprinkle evenly with the Gruyere. Broil until the cheese is melted, 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle with the scallion greens and serve.

ONE-PAN FARRO WITH TOMATOES AND KALE

Steps:

• Add water, farro, onion, garlic, tomatoes, and salt to a medium sized saucepan. Simmer, uncovered, for 15 minutes.
• Add the kale. Simmer, uncovered, for another 15 minutes.
• Stir in the olive oil, and... you're done! The farro should be chewy but soft, and there will be just the slightest amount of really delicious brothiness left in the pan. Top with your favorite things - I highly recommend the Parmesan and the red pepper flakes. It's almost too simple and too good to be true.

FARRO WITH MUSHROOMS

Steps:

• Place the farro in a bowl, and pour on enough hot water to cover by an inch. Let soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.
• Place the dried mushrooms in a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl, and pour in 2 cups boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes.
• Drain the mushrooms through a strainer set over a bowl and lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer, then rinse in several changes of water to remove grit. Chop coarsely if the pieces are large and set aside. Add the broth from the mushrooms to the stock. You should have 6 cups (add water if necessary). Place in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt to taste.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add salt to taste, the garlic and rosemary. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the farro and reconstituted dried mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the grains of farro are separate and beginning to crackle, about two minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add all but about 1 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer 50 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir vigorously from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot but not too much. If the farro is submerged in stock, raise the heat and cook until there is just enough to moisten the grains, like a sauce. If there is not, stir in the remaining stock. If not serving right away, cover and let stand. Just before serving, bring back to a simmer, add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and stir together. Remove from the heat and serve.