This dish is amazing summertime comfort food as well as a great dish to make celebrating summer tomatoes. It is a variation of a delicious Martha Stewart Living one-pot pasta dish that I’ve also enjoyed and posted in the past.
This recipe was adapted from Smitten Kitchen Every Day: Triumphant & Unfussy New Favorites by Deb Perelman, via smitten kitchen.com. I increased the quantity to make 4 main course servings, modified the proportions, and used a Vidalia onion as well as freshly picked vine-ripened tomatoes. (from a friend- lucky me!) The fresh backyard basil was the icing on the cake.
Serves: 4 as a main dish, 3 as a hearty main dish, or about 6 as a side dish
- 3 cups water
- 1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro (the package will note a 30-minute cooking time)(I have used Nature’s Promise farro & Trader Joe’s “10 minute” farro))
- 1 large onion, preferably Vidalia
- 4 cloves garlic
- a generous pound or grape, cherry, or small vine-ripened tomatoes
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes, or to taste
- 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
- basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons, for garnish
- freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving, optional
- Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (5 to 10 minutes is sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients.
- Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons.
- Thinly slice garlic cloves as well.
- Halve or quarter the tomatoes.
- Add salt, red pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes.
- Bring uncovered pan up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. (I used a medium-size enameled cast iron pot.)
- When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.
- Adjust seasonings as desired.
- Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind.
- Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Serve immediately.
thebrookcook 
This is a fabulous dish. Sort of like a one pot risotto! I love farro.
I am in love with farro as well! It has all of the creaminess of risotto too. SO good. 🙂
Fabulous! This is the kind of thing I make often, lovely!
I could eat it once a week! 😉 Thanks, Elaine.