EARTHY EATS. Warm Farro with Mushrooms and Thyme can be prepared in just an hour. The recipe appears in The Complete Diabetes Cookbook. (Carl Tremblay/America’s Test Kitchen via AP)

From The Asian Reporter, V29, #06 (March 18, 2019), page 13.

By America’s Test Kitchen

We wanted to pair earthy, hearty mushrooms with equally hearty farro.

To start, we used the pasta method (an abundance of water) to boil our farro, which ensured the grains cooked evenly and required only half an hour.

We then moved on to the mushrooms, sautéing them with shallot and thyme until the moisture evaporated and the mushrooms achieved some browning.

Scraping up the browned bits in the pan with sherry rounded things out with sweetness and acidity before we added the farro. We prefer the flavor and texture of whole farro; pearled farro can be used, but the texture may be softer.

Do not use quick-cooking or pre-steamed farro (read the ingredient list on the package to determine this) in this recipe. The cooking time for farro can vary greatly among different brands, so we recommend beginning to check for doneness after 10 minutes.

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Servings: 6

Start to finish: 1 hour

1 1/2 cups whole farro

Salt and pepper

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

12 ounces cremini mushrooms, trimmed and chopped coarse

1 shallot, minced

1 1/2 teaspoons minced fresh thyme or 1/2 teaspoon dried

3 tablespoons dry sherry

3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley

1 1/2 teaspoons sherry vinegar, plus extra for seasoning

Bring four quarts water to boil in a large pot. Add farro and one teaspoon salt and cook until grains are tender with slight chew, 15 to 30 minutes. Drain farro, return to now-empty pot, and cover to keep warm.

Heat two tablespoons of oil in a 12" skillet over medium heat until shimmering. Add mushrooms, shallot, thyme, and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until moisture has evaporated and vegetables start to brown, eight to 10 minutes. Stir in sherry, scraping up any browned bits, and cook until the skillet is almost dry.

Add farro and remaining one tablespoon oil and cook until heated through, about two minutes. Off heat, stir in parsley and vinegar. Season with pepper and extra vinegar to taste and serve.

Nutrition information per serving: 311 calories (79 calories from fat); 9 g fat (1 g saturated, 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 247 mg sodium; 45 g carbohydrate; 8 g fiber; 2 g sugar; 9 g protein.

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