Turmeric Farro with Oven Roasted Vegetables

Turmeric Farro



Farro is a grain that has lots of health benefits.  I bought farro more than a year ago at a health food store and never tried to cook it until this weekend.  It's nutty and chewy, much like brown rice.  I really like it!  Now that I tried this farro recipe, it occurs to me that I have had farro before.  Panera Bread restaurant has a great salad with "ancient grains".  Turns out farro goes by many names, including "ancient grain", and it's high in fiber, protein, fiber, and is otherwise a really heart healthy choice.  You can read more about farro HERE and HERE.

I found the Tumeric Farro recipe, using turmeric and vegetable broth, on a cooking blog and decided to serve it with vegetables I had on hand. I already had some roasted Brussels sprouts in the refrigerator.  I had also purchased a big bag of sugar snap peas and I had baby carrots in the refrigerator, so I decided to roast them while the farro simmered.  Let me just stop and tell you now... oven roasted carrots are REALLY, REALLY, REALLY good.  Where have these been all of my LIFE!?!  I just roasted the carrots and sugar snap peas at 450 degrees with a little extra virgin olive oil, salt, and pepper. I realize now that the sugar snap peas roasted faster than the baby carrots, so I will keep that in mind next time.  The sugar snap peas are a bit slimy.  Or maybe next time, I'll just roast baby carrots.  Did I mention that roasted baby carrots are REALLY, REALLY good?!?  In the photo at the very top, you can see I also had some chopped hard boiled egg to my farro and roasted vegetables.  I know this may sound weird, but it added incredible creaminess and flavor to this healthy, hearty bowl of yummy goodness.

When I used to watch cooking shows on the Food Network a lot, celebrity chef Giada De Laurentis talked about farro quite frequently. She said her mom made it for breakfast.  I could totally imagine farro with milk, cinnamon, raisins, and honey.  Basically, I can imagine topping farro in just the same way you would enjoy hot oatmeal.

One other thing to point about farro... it comes in a few different forms.  My farro is Organic Pearled Farro.  Turns out this pearled variety is a quicker cooking farro.  If you get other varieties, the cooking time will vary.

Turmeric Farro

Recipe Source:  www.whiskandshout.com

Original Recipe link is HERE

• 1½ cups dry farro
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup water
• 1 tbsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp sea salt

Instructions

1. Combine dry farro, broth, water, salt, and turmeric in a large pot and set over high heat until gently boiling.
2. Mix well, reduce heat to low-medium, and cover to simmer for 10-15 minutes (mine took a bit longer). Check periodically to stir.
3. Once all the liquid has been absorbed, take farro off heat and stir to avoid sticking.