Farro with sweet peas & ricotta | Recipe | Food & Style (2024)

FAQs

What does farro look like? ›

Farro, a high-protein, high-fiber ancient whole-grain wheat, looks similar to barley, though with a slightly more oblong and larger grain. Like barley, farro retains a notable amount of chew when it gets cooked. Farro and barley can be used interchangeably in most recipes. Farro is a wheat product and contains gluten.

Originally from Ancient Mesopotamia, farro is a term used to describe any one of three ancient wheat grains: einkorn, emmer, or spelt. However, in the United States and Europe, the term farro generally refers to emmer wheat.

To make ricotta cheese, milk is heated until the curds and whey separate. The curds become the basis for varieties such as mozzarella, while reheating the whey produces the moist, fine grains that traditionally create ricotta (hence the name, meaning “twice cooked”).

Also, be advised that farro contains gluten. If you have celiac disease or are otherwise gluten intolerant, avoid the grain. As you may have guessed, you'll also want to sidestep farro if you have a wheat allergy.

"Farro is a great source of fiber, iron, protein and magnesium. With all of those nutrients in this little grain, it can provide a lot of health benefits for your diabetes or for heart health or for brain health." Cook farro on the stovetop, in a slower cooker or in the oven. It doesn't expand as much as rice or pasta.

All grains have a place in a healthy diet. Farro and barley, being whole grains, contain more fiber and health benefits than white pasta or white rice.

It's high in protein, fiber and several nutrients. Farro may have several health benefits, including protection against heart disease and benefits for weight loss. On the whole, farro is a tasty and nutritious alternative to refined grains.

You're sensitive to the grain itself

Spelt, kamut, and farro all are made from wheat. "If people have issues with gluten, it's better to go for a bowl made with rice of buckwheat, which, despite how the name makes it sound, is gluten-free," she says. Even better: Go for easier-to-digest sprouted grains.

Grains to avoid are wheat (such as wheat berries, spelt, kamut, farro and bulgur), rye, barley and triticale.

Farro is an ethnobotanical term for three species of hulled wheat: spelt (Triticum spelta), emmer (Triticum dicoccum), and einkorn (Triticum monococcum). Hulled wheat is wheat that cannot be threshed. In Italian cuisine, the three species are sometimes distinguished as farro grande, farro medio, and farro piccolo.

Where do you find farro in the grocery store? ›

Each grocery store is different, but the grocery stores near me usually put the bagged farro in the same aisle as the flour and sugar. If it's not on the flour aisle, some grocery stores have a "healthy lifestyle/organic" aisle, and I would check there.

Ricotta lovers will be happy to know that ricotta cheese is a healthy food and belongs to the dairy food group. It can be enjoyed every day as part of a balanced diet.

Compared to most cheeses, ricotta is a healthier choice because it contains less salt and fat - 10 per cent fat, of which 6 per cent is saturated. It's light and creamy with a slightly grainy texture and delicate flavour that can be used on its own or in sweet and savoury dishes.

Eggs help bind the ricotta cheese, but if you don't have eggs on hand then it's OK to omit them. Adding egg to ricotta cheese helps to bind the cheese for lasagna so that it doesn't ooze out of the casserole when you cut it. Basically, the egg helps all the cheesy goodness stay intact.

What can I use instead of farro? The best substitute for farro is pearl barley or freekeh.

Uncooked farro looks similar to wheat berries, and a lot like barley when it is cooked. It has a slightly chewy texture with a nutty, warm flavor.