Farro With Blistered Tomatoes Pesto And Spinach Food

FARRO WITH BLISTERED TOMATOES, PESTO AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees. Bring a large covered pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the farro and adjust the heat to maintain a medium boil. Cook uncovered, stirring occasionally to make sure nothing is sticking to the bottom, until tender and not too chewy, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, on a sheet pan, combine the tomatoes and onion wedges with the oil, making sure everything is well coated and glistening, then season with salt, pepper and the red-pepper flakes. Roast until the tomatoes blister and slightly deflate, 25 to 30 minutes.
• When the farro is done, drain, then pour into a serving bowl or back into the pot. Toss with some olive oil, then mix in the pesto. Add the lemon zest and juice, then stir in the spinach. Set aside to cool slightly.
• Scrape the onions, tomatoes and their juices into the farro; season with salt and pepper as needed. Add the cheese, if using, then garnish with herbs and serve.

FARRO WITH COARSE PESTO

Steps:

• Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the farro and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low and simmer the farro, covered, until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain farro and set aside in a large bowl.
• Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the parsley, basil, thyme, and garlic. Pulse until the herbs are roughly chopped. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pulse again until the herbs make a coarse mixture.
• Toss the warm farro with the coarse pesto. Transfer to a serving bowl. Using a vegetable peeler on the cheese wedge to make about 1/2 cup of cheese shavings. Top the farro with the cheese shavings and serve.

PESTO FARRO WITH CHERRY TOMATOES

Steps:

• Rinse farro under cold water, then pour in boiling water (10-11 cups) and cook until tender but not mushy, about 30 minutes.
• Drain, rinse again under cold water.
• Put in a serving bowl with the pesto, mix well until completely coated in sauce.
• Add halved cherry tomatoes (and prawns if using), mix, cover with plastic and chill for at least 1 hour.

PESTO FARRO WITH SPRING VEGGIES

Steps:

• Combine water and farro in a pot and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-high and cook, uncovered, until farro is creamy and water is absorbed, about 30 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in pesto, 1/2 of the lemon zest, 1/2 of the lemon juice, parsley, salt, and pepper. Cover to keep warm and set aside.
• Meanwhile, cover the bottom of a skillet with a small amount of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Add asparagus and peas. Cover, reduce heat to medium, and cook for 5 minutes. Drain and season vegetables with remaining lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.
• Divide farro among 4 bowls. Top with vegetables and garnish with chives.