FARRO

 
Farro ( Triticum dicoccum ) is an ancient grain that was first cultivated by the Egyptians and then brought to Italy by the Greeks. The Romans ground it into flour for simple breads and used the whole grains to make starchy soups. Farro, or emmer wheat, resembles a cross between wheat and barley but unlike wheat, farro is low in gluten. It is sometimes erroneously referred to as spelt, which is not the same thing.

Farro is grown in the rugged mountainous region of the Garfagnana in northeast Tuscany. Its rustic appearance and hearty texture make it perfect for winter soups and stews. It pairs beautifully with other ingredients such as beans, chestnuts, chicken, lentils, mushrooms, pork, and sausage, and it is terrific used like wheat berries or brown rice in a salad. You can also use it as you would arborio rice for a hearty farro risotto or ‘farotto’

Try my recipe for faro risotto, reprinted here, which first appeared in the October 2006 issue of Cooking Light magazine.

Duck Breasts with Cider- Farro Risotto
Serves 8

1. To prepare risotto: place farro in a large bowl; cover with water to 1 inch above farro. Let stand 30 minutes; drain.

2. Combine broth and cider in a large saucepan; bring to a simmer (do not boil). Keep warm over low heat.

3. Melt 2 tablespoons butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add fennel and sauté for 5 minutes or until lightly browned and tender. Remove fennel from pan. Add farro, and cook for 3 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly. Add wine, and cook for 5 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring constantly.

4. Add broth mixture, 1 cup at a time, stirring constantly until each portion is absorbed before adding the next (about 35 minutes total). Add up to 1 cup water as needed until farro is al dente. Stir in fennel, grated lemon rind, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon pepper, and cinnamon. Remove from heat. Cover and keep warm.

5. To prepare duck: rub duck with garlic and sprinkle breasts with 1/2 teaspoon salt, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 4 breasts and cook for 2 & 1/2 minutes or until browned. Turn breasts over, and cook over medium-low heat for 5 & 1/2 minutes or until desired degree of doneness. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil and 4 duck breasts.

6. Remove duck from the heat, cover with tin foil, and rest for 3 minutes. Cut each breast into thin slices and serve with a portion of farro risotto.

Japanese Soy Sauce
and Smoked Salt
~ pure and natural ~

Shiro Shibori:
Premium Wheat Soy Sauce

This soy sauce is made from 80% wheat and 20% soybeans, nearly the reverse of traditional soy sauce formulations. This soy sauce is light in color and mild in flavor, and was brought to market by the Marushin Honke Company expressely for professional chefs who asked for a less dark and less strongly flavored soy sauce that would not overwhelm delicate food preparations.

Kishibori Shoyu :
Pure Artisan Soy Sauce

Kishibori Shoyu is made by the Takesan Company, which is located on the small island of Shodoshima in the Seto Inland Sea in eastern Japan. It is made from soybeans, wheat, salt, and mineral water, and it is left to ferment in old cider barrels (that have been in use for over 100 years ) for 18 months. The slow fermentation process results in a very large number of complex organic acids, which contributes to the excellent flavor, taste characteristics and umami of this shoyu. Unlke mass-produced shoyu, Kishibori Shoyu is not treated with alcohol or preservatives. Over 30 shoyu factories operate on Shodoshima Island, where shoyu brewers and salt producers have prospered since the 17th century.

Iburi-Jio: Smoked Sea Salt

This salt is made in Akita Prefecture in northern Japan, from water collected off shore of the Oga Peninsula. The seawater is placed in large pots and set over wood burning fires for three days, during which time the water evaporates and the salt crystallizes. The resulting sea salt is rich in minerals – magnesium, calcium and potassium – which give the salt its round and complex flavor. The salt is roasted over cherry wood fires to dry and finish it, which also imparts a lovely fragrance and smoky flavor to the salt. Nothing artificial is added.

Simple supper !!

Pappardelle with Butter and Poppy Seeds

7 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons sugar
2 tablespoons poppy seeds
8 ounces Alfieri pappardelle egg pasta

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, add pasta and cook until al dente ( about 3 minutes or so. ) While the pasta is cooking, melt butter and sugar together in a small saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
Drain pasta, transfer to a large bowl, and toss with the melted butter and poppy seeds. Serve immediately.
 

POLENTA

When early seafarers brought corn from the New World to Italy it became an immediate hit. Corn was ground into flour and it eventually replaced earlier grain mixtures of millet, spelt and chickpeas. Roman soldiers and peasants cooked a sustaining meal of hot gruel known as pulmentum from these grains, and heralded the arrival of corn as an opportunity to add diversity to this simple meal.

The best polenta comes from the Lombardia region, particularly the area of Bergamo north of Milan, where ancient strains of corn are selectively bred and grown. Polenta runs the gamut from fine cut to medium and coarse cut. Italian chefs have devised many delicious recipes featuring polenta, and in addition, there are numerous thoughts on how to cook the best polenta. Some recipes use just water or stock and cornmeal, others incorporate eggs and cheese or heavy cream. Polenta can be served hot and creamy or left to firm up, then cut into squares and sautéed in butter or oil in a hot skillet.

We sell two distinctively different polentas:
• Bramata: coarse ground yellow polenta from the Moretti family in Bergamo who have been growing corn and grinding it for polenta since 1922. Carefully selected varieties of corn are air-dried in open barns until hardened. The kernels are stone ground and packed in air-tight seal bricks to retain their natural freshness and superior flavor.

• Tenuta Castello Artisan Stone-Ground Organic polenta: a flecked yellow polenta made from three heritage varieties of corn (Marano, Astice and Quattro File). The Vercellone family has been cultivating grains for over 100 years in the heart of the Po Delta near Vercelli, Italy. Their grains are processed in traditional mills that leave much of each grain's kernel intact without polishing.

Polenta is incredibly versatile and easy to prepare. Here is a recipe from Chef Joel Robuchon from his new book, The Complete Robuchon, Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2008.

Polenta
Serves 6-8 as a side dish

1 quart milk
6 tablespoons cold butter
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2/3 teaspoon salt
2 pinches grated nutmeg
generous pinch of pepper

1 & 1/3 cups medium or coarse-ground polenta
2 eggs plus 3 egg yolks
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
½ cup grated gruyere cheese
oil for greasing the pan
butter for sautéing the cooked polenta squares

1. Rinse a saucepan under running water but do not dry it off. Add the milk, butter, garlic, 2/3 teaspoon salt, grated nutmeg, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat. When the butter has melted, lower the heat and gradually shower the polenta into the liquid, stirring with a wooden spoon. Cook for 8 minutes over medium-low heat, stirring constantly.

2. Mix the eggs and yolks together in a bowl. After 8 minutes, take the saucepan off the heat, add the eggs slowly to the polenta, stirring vigorously, and cook 3-4 minutes more over lower heat.

3. Remove the pot from the heat, remove the garlic cloves and stir in the parmesan and gruyere cheese. Taste for salt and pepper and adjust if needed.

4. Grease a rimmed sheet pan with oil using a pastry brush and pour the hot polenta into the pan. Smooth with the spoon into an even 1-inch layer. Refrigerate for 2 hours.

5. Cut the polenta into squares and sauté in 1 tablespoon butter in a skillet over high heat. Brown the squares on each side and top each with a little of the melted butter.