One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes

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

1. Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (5 to 10 minutes is sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients.
2. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons.
3. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well.
4. Halve or quarter the tomatoes.
5. Add salt, red pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes.
6. Bring uncovered pan up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. (I used a medium-size enameled cast iron pot.)
7. 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.
8. Adjust seasonings as desired.
9. 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.
10. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Serve immediately.