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Inside Market Hall

Ever wondered where Farro comes from?

13 October 2010

SALE! Whole Grain Farro

As one of the first exporters of farro to the US, Gianluigi Peduzzi of Rustichella d'Abruzzo has witnessed first-hand the explosion in popularity of this ancient grain. From restaurants and specialty shops all the way to the home cook, this healthful and delicious product has become the darling of the food-obsessed.

In response to this, he's added to his production each year to keep up with demand. Last year, he planted new fields of farro near his home in Abruzzo to keep up with the growing demand (see photo above)

Through the end of October, you can order our Whole Grain Farro from Rustichella d'Abruzzo at a very special price. We've brought in an extra-large order, fresh from the harvest, to shine a bright light on of our favorite products.

Both the 1.1 and 5.5 pound packages are available now at more than 20% off!

That's $7.50 for the 500 gram package and just $32.00 for the bulk.

Farrotto with Butternut Squash

Serves 4 as a side, 2-3 as a main course

This elegant and delicious dish is one of our absolute favorite fall preparations. We've all had risotto - farrotto is a simple preparation that uses the same technique but with farro in place of short grain rice. The key is the squash stock, a lightly spiced and heady broth made from the squash peels, a few veggies and a cinammon stick. 

1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes (reserve the peel)
6 TBS extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper
2 large onions
2 stalks celery
1 carrot
1 bay leaf
1 cinnamon stick
6 cloves of garlic, peeled

1 cup white wine
2 cups of whole grain farro
1/2 cup Parmigiano Reggiano, grated
drizzle of truflfe oil (optional)

Toss the cubed butternut squash with 3 TBS of extra virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Place on a baking sheet and roast in a 400 degree oven for 18 - 25 minutes or until caramelized and tender. Set aside.

In a pot, place the squash peel, 1 halved onion, the celery, carrot, bay leaf, cinammon stick and 3 cloves of garlic. Cover with 2 quarts of water and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes and strain. Keep warm or refrigerate/ freeze for use later.

In a saute pan, heat the remaining 3 TBS of extra virgin olive oil. Dice the remaining onion and saute until well-browned. Mince the reminining garlic and cook with the onions for 2 - 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Add the farro and stir until coated with the olive oil - let it "toast" for 1 - 2 minutes. Add the white wine and reduce until the pan is almost dry. 

Begin adding the hot stock, stirring frequently, a few cups at a time. Continue adding stock for 25 - 30 minutes, or until the farro is tender and done to your likeness. 

Lower the heat and add the roasted butternut squash and stir to combine. Add the grated cheese and truffle oil, if desired. Serve immediately.

NEW! Farro Flour from Bartolini

About 140 kilometers north of Abruzzo, anotherfamily is growing farro...

The Bartolini family, the producer of our Umbrian lentils and cicerchie, is milling the farro they grow into a fine flour for baking. When farro is ground into a flour, it behaves like a whole wheat flour without the toughness - it's nutty and earthy tasting but with a hearty texture. 

We love to use equal parts farro flour and all-purpose for doughs of all types - pizza crust and bread doughs - but we have also used 100% farro flour in recipes with great success.  A simple pâte brisée, or pie crust recipe, works nicely with farro flour and the result has a deep golden color and rich, nutty flavor when baked.

Order a 500 gram bag of Farro Flour from Bartolini now for $6.50

SORRY ABOUT THE SARDINES!

Last weeks' newsletter unveiled one of our newest products, the Sardines from Mouettes D'Arvor...

In the past, we've had some pretty quick reactions to new products, but we haven't seen anything like last week's spike in orders in quite some time!  We sold out within a few hours and unfortunately, lots of you weren't able to order them when you visited the site.

Well THEY'RE BACK! We just received another order, (bigger this time!), so if you missed out, now is your chance to get your hands on a few tins.

And wouldn't you know...just as we were putting this week's newsletter together, we stumbled upon this article, calling sardines the Number 1 food you should be eating!

Order the Sardines from Mouettes D'Arvor now for $8.00