Revival of an Old Grain

Farro is an old form of wheat. I learned about it at a conference last year and had been trying to find it ever since. After searching a bit, I did find it on Amazon.com and after some ordering issues I finally received a package of farro last week. The recipes that I had heard about were mostly grain salads. Wheat salads are great with fresh produce and really shine when vegetables like tomatoes and cucumbers are in season. Since these veggies are not in season now, I chose to make the traditional Italian recipe which was listed on the package. Really delicious. The grain takes about 20 minutes to cook at which time it is soft but chewy(kind of like barley). Once the grain is cooked, you set it aside, sautee a small onion with a carrot and celery stalk and add about a cup of tomato sauce and some white wine if you like. Add the farro and warm for a few minutes. It makes a great whole grain side dish and is quite filling.