I got the idea for this dish from Heidi at 101 Cookbooks, who has posted several lovely farro dishes, including a baked farro risotto. Her recipe calls for uncooked farro which is slowly baked until al dente in a mixture of homemade tomato sauce, vegetable broth, onion and Parmesan. That's a wonderful idea if you have a stash of sturdy grains like farro or kamut in your pantry and no idea what to do with it (one of those well-intentioned bulk bin splurges, sadly resigned to staleness in the cabinet); I've been eating a lot of whole grains lately, and so had a pot of cooked farro in the fridge and no idea what to do with it. When I realized that I also had half a tub of homemade tomato sauce, some leftover Parmesan cheese and a bunch of wilting kale in the fridge, I formed a battle plan.
Skipping the broth, which is only necessary if you're using uncooked grains, I sauteed an onion in some olive oil until softened, added a couple of cups of cooked farro and chopped lacinato kale, stems and all, to the pan, and cooked that until the kale was softened and bright green. I then tossed in the tomato sauce and maybe 1/4 C of Parmesan cheese and let the flavors blend, stirring, for maybe five minutes. Adjust for salt and pepper.
Following Heidi's lead, I rubbed an 8X8 baking dish with olive oil and scattered the zest of one lemon on top of the oil. Don't skip this step. The lemon zest adds enormous flavor and aroma, and imbues the dish with a bracing brightness that contrasts nicely with the rich tomato and Parmesan flavors and the bitter kale. I then dumped the farro mixture into the dish, scattered the top with the remaining cheese, and baked it in the oven at 400 degrees for twenty minutes. The casserole came out golden brown, with a wonderful lemony steam and chewy texture.
What's fun about this dish, and whole grains in general, is that they're so versatile. I could easily have combined cold farro with avocado, citrus, feta and a lemon dressing for a light but filling salad, or warmed it up with a bit of olive oil and garlic, and added pink beans, salsa and sour cream for a taco bowl. I've been making an effort to keep a small pot of whole grains (I like to switch it up, but chewy grains like kamut and farro are my favorite) and one of beans (this week they're pink, just for the prettiness of it) in the fridge each week for easy, healthy meals. Add some roasted veggies or stir-fried greens, and you have a near-instant meal.
Plus, when you eat such healthful meals, you can afford to splurge. Coming next: the easiest, cocoa-iest scones, for you and your sweeties, courtesy of Alice Medrich, cocoa queen.
