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.

Collard Greens with Dumplings

The bacon, chipotle, and collards all work well together in this dish, and the dumplings balance the spiciness. I have made this dish using all collard greens, but also with a combination of collards, bok choy, escarole, and chicory greens from my CSA share. It think that this is a great dish to make to gobble up tons of greens! 🙂

This recipe was adapted from CHOW.com. I chopped the chipotle chiles before incorporating to add heat. I also replaced some of the water with chicken stock.

Yield: 4 servings

For the collard greens:

• 8 ounces bacon, medium dice
• 1 medium yellow or Vidalia onion, medium dice
• 3 medium garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
• 2 chipotle chiles, with adobo sauce, left whole or chopped for added spiciness
• 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt, plus more as needed
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more as needed
• 1 cup chicken stock, plus 1 cup water
• 2+ pounds collard greens, tough stems removed, washed, and cut into bite-sized pieces (or any combination of mixed greens)

For the dumplings:

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 1/2 cup buttermilk
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly

For the greens:

1. Place the bacon in a 10-inch Dutch oven or a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. (I used a large enameled cast iron Dutch oven.) Cook, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp, about 15 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a paper-towel-lined plate and discard all but 3 tablespoons of the bacon fat in the pot.
2. Add the onion, garlic, chiles, and measured salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is tender and beginning to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.
3. Add the stock and water, increase the heat to high, and bring to a boil. Stir in the greens a handful at a time, adding more as they wilt, until they’re all in the pot.
4. Cover with a tight fitting lid, reduce the heat to low, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the greens are very tender and almost falling apart, about 20 minutes for collard greens or about 10 minutes for a combination of mixed greens. Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.

For the dumplings:

1. When the greens are ready, place the flour, baking soda, sugar, and salt in a medium bowl and whisk to combine.
2. Add the buttermilk and melted butter and stir until the flour mixture is moistened and a soft dough forms.
3. Drop the dough in heaping tablespoons, about 8-9 dumplings, about 1/2 inch apart into the simmering greens. (I used a large ice cream scoop.)
4. Cover and simmer until the dumplings are cooked through and the tops are no longer sticky, about 10 minutes.
5. Remove the whole chipotle pods from the pot, if desired.
6. Sprinkle the greens and dumplings with the reserved bacon and serve immediately.