Chef Graziella
Arancini di Riso alla Siciliana
Golden fried rice balls from Sicily, where Arab cooks first wrapped saffron-scented rice around meat and cheese. The exterior shatters; the interior yields. This is street food elevated to art.
Culinary Explorer
A cooking platform built around craft, culture, and the stories behind what we eat.
Farro con Verdure alla Toscana
Created by
The ancient grain of the Garfagnana, simmered with whatever the garden offers and finished with the green-gold olive oil that Tuscany produces better than anywhere else. Peasant food that sustained Roman legions and Tuscan farmers alike.
Main Dishes
Italian, Tuscan
Weeknight
Comfort Food
25 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield6 servings
Farro is older than Rome. The Romans paid their soldiers partly in farro, which is why salary comes from the Latin for salt and grain. In the Garfagnana, the mountainous region of northern Tuscany where chestnuts grow wild and the air stays cool even in summer, farmers have cultivated this grain continuously for three thousand years. They never stopped, even when the rest of Italy forgot about it in favor of softer, easier wheat.
This is not a recipe that calls for precision. It is a framework. The vegetables change with the seasons: zucchini and tomatoes in summer, cavolo nero and root vegetables in winter. What does not change is the method. You build flavor from the bottom with a proper soffritto. You toast the grain to awaken its nuttiness. You simmer it gently in good broth until each kernel is tender but still has resistance when you bite it. Then you finish with olive oil so good you could drink it.
Tuscan cooking has always understood that restraint creates depth. There is no cream here, no excessive seasoning, nothing to distract from the grain itself. What you keep out is as significant as what you put in.
Farro sustained the Roman legions during their conquest of the Mediterranean, earning it the name 'the marching grain.' While most of Italy abandoned it centuries ago for higher-yielding wheat, the isolated farmers of Garfagnana in northern Tuscany never stopped cultivating it. Their farro received IGP protection in 1996, official recognition of what they had known all along: some traditions are worth preserving.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
farro
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
semi-perlato preferred
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/4 cup, plus more for finishing
yellow onion
Quantity
1 medium
diced fine
carrot
Quantity
1 medium
peeled and diced fine
celery stalk
Quantity
1
diced fine
garlic cloves
Quantity
2
lightly crushed, left whole
zucchini
Quantity
2 medium
cut into 1/2-inch dice
cherry tomatoes
Quantity
1 cup
halved
vegetable or chicken broth
Quantity
4 cups
warmed
dry white wine
Quantity
1/2 cup
fresh sage leaves
Quantity
4
fresh rosemary
Quantity
1 sprig
Parmigiano-Reggiano
Quantity
1/2 cup, plus more for serving
freshly grated
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| farrosemi-perlato preferred | 1 1/2 cups |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/4 cup, plus more for finishing |
| yellow oniondiced fine | 1 medium |
| carrotpeeled and diced fine | 1 medium |
| celery stalkdiced fine | 1 |
| garlic cloveslightly crushed, left whole | 2 |
| zucchinicut into 1/2-inch dice | 2 medium |
| cherry tomatoeshalved | 1 cup |
| vegetable or chicken brothwarmed | 4 cups |
| dry white wine | 1/2 cup |
| fresh sage leaves | 4 |
| fresh rosemary | 1 sprig |
| Parmigiano-Reggianofreshly grated | 1/2 cup, plus more for serving |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Heavy 4-quart Dutch oven or deep sauté pan with lid
- •Fine-mesh strainer for rinsing farro
- •Wooden spoon
Instructions
- 1
Rinse the farro
Place the farro in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse under cold running water for 30 seconds, agitating with your hand. This removes surface starch that would otherwise make the dish gummy. Shake off excess water and set aside.
- 2
Build the soffritto
In a heavy-bottomed pot or Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery. Cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are completely soft and the onion turns pale gold, about 15 minutes. Add the crushed garlic cloves and cook one minute more. The garlic is there to perfume the oil, not to dominate. Remove and discard the garlic cloves.
The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking. Two cloves, crushed and removed, is enough. The garlic should whisper, not shout. - 3
Toast the farro
Add the rinsed farro to the pot and stir to coat every grain with the soffritto and oil. Toast for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. You will smell a warm, nutty fragrance, like bread just beginning to brown. This step is essential. It develops the grain's flavor and helps each kernel stay distinct during cooking.
- 4
Add wine and begin simmering
Pour in the white wine and stir, scraping up any bits stuck to the bottom of the pot. Let the wine bubble and reduce until the pan is nearly dry and you can no longer smell alcohol, about 2 minutes. Add the sage leaves and rosemary sprig. Pour in the warm broth. Bring to a gentle simmer, then reduce heat to maintain a lazy bubble.
- 5
Cook the farro
Simmer the farro uncovered, stirring occasionally, for 20 minutes. The grains will begin to swell and the liquid will reduce. Taste a kernel. It should be softening but still quite firm at the center.
Semi-perlato farro has part of the bran removed and cooks in 25 to 30 minutes. Whole farro takes 45 minutes or more. Perlato (fully pearled) cooks in 15 to 20 minutes but has less character. Know what you have. - 6
Add the vegetables
Add the diced zucchini to the pot and stir to combine. Continue simmering for 8 minutes. The zucchini should become tender but not fall apart. Add the halved cherry tomatoes and cook 5 minutes more, just until they soften and release some of their juice. The farro should now be tender with a pleasant chewiness at the center, not mushy. If it is still too firm, add a splash of water and cook a few minutes longer.
- 7
Finish and serve
Remove the pot from heat. Fish out and discard the rosemary sprig. Stir in the grated Parmigiano-Reggiano and season with salt and pepper. The dish should be moist but not soupy, each grain distinct and coated with the vegetables and their juices. Spoon into warm shallow bowls. Drizzle each portion generously with your finest olive oil. Pass more cheese at the table. Serve promptly.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out farro from Garfagnana if you can find it. The grain grown in those mountains has a depth of flavor that commercial farro cannot match. Italian specialty shops sometimes carry it.
- •The vegetables here are suggestions, not commandments. In winter, use diced butternut squash, cavolo nero, or white beans. In spring, add peas and asparagus. Cook with what is best in your market.
- •Do not add all the broth at once if you want more control. Add it in stages, as you would for risotto, and you will have better command of the final texture.
- •This dish does not reheat as well as soup. The farro absorbs liquid as it sits. If you must reheat, add a splash of broth and warm gently over low heat.
Advance Preparation
- •The soffritto can be made several hours ahead and left in the pot. Reheat gently before adding the farro.
- •The completed dish is best served immediately. If you must hold it, cover and keep warm for no more than 20 minutes, adding a splash of broth before serving to restore moisture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 250g)
Calories
320 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
9 g
Cholesterol
6 mg
Sodium
705 mg
Total Carbohydrates
41 g
Dietary Fiber
5 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
11 g
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