Green Farro With Kale, Spinach and Dill

Farro cooked in a purée of leafy green vegetables and herbs

Farro cooked in a purée of leafy green vegetables and herbs


If you aren’t into farro yet you soon will be. It’s a tasty whole grain wheat that remains delightfully chewy no matter how long you cook it, and on the other hand, it cooks quite quickly – 15-20 minutes will do the job. Here I cook it in a purée of leafy green vegetables and herbs for a delicious and highly nutritious dish. It’s also a useful shortcut when you want to eat lots of greens but don’t have the time to properly dry and lovingly chop them into a salad.

Top the green farro with a crunchy sprinkle (nuts) and/or vegetables with a contrasting color (shaved carrots, thinly sliced red peppers).

Ingredients:

  • ½ cup cashews, soaked in water for an hour or more

  • 1 cup dill, rough stems removed

  • 1 ½ cup tightly packed baby spinach leaves

  • 1 ½ cup tightly packed kale leaves, stems removed

  • 2 ¼ cups vegetable stock or water

  • 1 ½ cups farro

  • 1-2 tablespoon olive oil

  • 1 large diced yellow onion

  • 2 cloves garlic, minced

  • 2-3 teaspoons lime or lemon juice, or to taste

  • Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish: sliced almonds or the nuts of your choice, shaved carrots (optional)

Preparation:

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Drain the cashews, and place them in a food processor or blender, with the kale, spinach, stock or water, salt and pepper, and process until smooth. Give this green smoothie a taste: it should be nicely seasoned.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, heat the oil, add the onion and saute until very soft, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and cook, stirring often, until fragrant, under a minute. 

Add the farro and toast it a bit (1-2 minutes). 

Add the green liquid you processed earlier, increase the heat and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover, and let simmer until the farro is tender and most of the liquid has evaporated, 20-30 minutes. Remove from heat.

Fluff the cooked farro with a fork, add the lime or lemon juice and correct flavoring with salt and pepper if needed. 

Serve topped with a sprinkle of sliced almonds or the nuts of your choice and/or a color blast of thinly sliced carrot or red bell pepper. 

Enjoy!

Dr. Ayala

grain dishes, entree, side dish, vegetablesAyala Laufer-Cahanaspinach, kale, dill, cashew, farro, grain, whole grain, Whole Wheat, vegetableComment