We are relatively new converts to farro, which, like spelt and kamut, is another ancient variety of wheat. Farro – also known as emmer wheat – was one of the earliest crops to be domesticated in the Fertile Crescent and it has a lovely nutty, chewy quality. Farro is sometimes accused of being a little bland, but we find it helps enormously to cook it with plenty of aromatics before you add any other ingredients. This makes it so comfortingly delicious that we have been known to eat it on its own – albeit with lots of butter, salt and freshly ground black pepper.
We often treat farro like bulgur wheat, couscous and other starchy grains and use it cold, as a base for salads but it also works superbly well in hot dishes. We like to pair it with robust flavours, such as the olives, chilli and slow-roasted tomatoes in this Mediterranean-inspired pilaf.