Savory Farro Tart Recipes

SAVORY FARRO TART

Steps:

• Cook farro in a 2- to 3-quart pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes; drain in a sieve and cool to room temperature.
• Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 375°F. Butter dish and lightly coat with bread crumbs, knocking out excess.
• Melt butter (2 tablespoons) in a small heavy skillet over low heat and cook garlic, stirring, 1 minute, then transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in farro, ricotta, whole egg, yolks, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, salt, pepper, and nutmeg until combined well. Spoon mixture into dish and bake until just set and top is pale golden, 35 to 45 minutes. Cool to warm on a rack. Cut into wedges and serve.
• *Available at farawayfoods.com.

SAVORY RICOTTA TART

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Brush the bottom of a springform pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil.
• Cook and stir bread crumbs and 1 tablespoon olive oil together in a skillet over medium heat until breadcrumbs are light golden, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir 1 tablespoon Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into breadcrumbs; cook and stir until golden brown and toasted, about 1 minute more. Spread breadcrumbs out into the bottom of the prepared springform pan.
• Beat eggs in a bowl with a whisk until pale yellow, thick, and frothy. Add basil, parsley, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, and nutmeg; stir to combine.
• Whisk ricotta cheese and 1 ounce Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese into egg mixture. Drop cheese mixture by spoonfuls into the prepared springform pan and spread it evenly over breadcrumbs. Gently tap the pan against a work surface to settle the cheese layer. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the top.
• Bake in the preheated oven until set, 20 to 25 minutes. Run a paring knife around the side to release tart from springform pan. Cool in the pan until cool enough to handle; remove springform pan ring.
• Set oven rack about 6 inches from the heat source and preheat the oven's broiler. Line a baking sheet with a wire rack.
• Place tart on prepared baking sheet and bake in the preheated broiler until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes.

ARTICHOKE AND OLIVE FARRO SALAD

Steps:

• Set aside a sheet pan or a large plate. Bring a medium pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the farro and give it a stir. Reduce the heat to medium-high and cook according to package instructions, skimming off any foam that rises, until the grains are tender and plump. Depending on the type of farro used, this can take anywhere from 15 to 45 minutes. Drain the farro and transfer to the sheet pan or plate; spread out and cool to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes. (If the farro is left to cool in the strainer, it will keep cooking, take longer to cool and turn mushy.)
• Transfer the farro to a medium mixing bowl. Add the vinegar, oil and ½ teaspoon salt, and stir to combine. Add the olives, artichoke, feta, dill, red onion and chives, and season with black pepper to taste. Stir and taste. Add more salt, vinegar and oil, as needed.
• Serve right away or store in the fridge for up to 2 days. The farro will absorb the vinegar and oil the longer it sits. Adjust seasoning, vinegar and oil before serving.

TORTA SALATA DI FARRO - SAVORY FARRO PIE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 370 degrees F (180 C).
• Prepare the farro: Wash it well, picking out impurities such as bits of chaff, pebbles, or bad grains. In a medium saucepan, combine the farro with about 4 cups water and 2 teaspoons salt, then turn heat to high and bring it all to a boil.
• When it has come to a boil, reduce the temperature to medium low, cover, and let simmer until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from heat, drain mixture well, then pour it all into a large ceramic or porcelain bowl and set aside to let cool.
• When cooled, combine it with the remaining ingredients except the butter and the bread crumbs.
• Use the butter and bread crumbs to lightly grease and coat a 9-inch pan, pour the farro mixture into it, and bake it in a 370 F (180C) oven for about 40 minutes.
• This will work well as a second course, with a tossed salad.
• Recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis' method of cooking farro and from a recipe in Luciano Migliolli's "Il Farro e le sue Ricette." Farro: Grain of the Legions Grano Farro has a long and glorious history - it is the original grain from which all others derive, and fed the Mediterranean and Near Eastern populations for thousands of years; somewhat more recently it was the standard ration of the Roman Legions that expanded throughout the Western World. Ground into a paste and cooked, it was also the primary ingredient in plus, the polenta eaten for centuries by the Roman poor.