Genius Meal: One Pan Farrotto w/ Tomatoes

This winter I had a lot of "farrotto" dishes in restaurants, sort of like a risotto, but made with the Umbrian grain farro (which I happen to have a case of), instead of rice.

If you've never tried farro, it has a nice chewy texture, much like the consistency of barley.

Many of these dishes were hearty for the winter, and creamy, and had butternut squash, nuts and kale. I can't wait to try one when the weather gets cool.

Well, I've been noticing a lot of bloggers making Martha's one pot pasta dish, I thought it looked gimmicky, so I stayed away, but Deb from Smitten Kitchen used farro instead of spaghetti and I was sold.

This dish is a winner.

For extra richness, use chicken stock instead of water and add a swirl of butter at the end.

Feel free to add grilled sausages on the side, shrimp or a poached egg on top.

Anything that makes a lot and in one pot, is right by me.

I used my sweet cherry tomatoes from the garden, but you can use grape tomatoes if you like.

This meal is nothing short of genius.

One Pan Farrotto w/ Summer Tomatoes: (adapted from Smitten Kitchen) serves 4 as a side dish

2 cups water
1 cup farro (mine is from Umbria)
1 small white onion, sliced into thin quarter moons
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 cup of grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil
fresh basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
grated or shaved Parmigiano Reggiano, for serving
butter or olive oil for swirling at the end

Place the 2 cups of water and farro in a medium saucepan to pre-soak for 10 minutes.

Add all the ingredients to the saucepan, one at a time.

Add 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes.

Bring uncovered pan up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally.

The farro should be perfectly cooked after 30 minutes (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed.

I had to add about another 1/4 cup of water after 20 minutes, because most of the liquid was absorbed.

Transfer to a wide serving bowl. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil or butter, and scatter with basil and parmesan.

Genius!