Farro with Broccoli and Shrimps
This is one of my favorite dishes and I always make it when my boyfriend is out of town – not because I want to keep it all for myself but he cannot stand broccoli – and I easily enjoy a double portion of it!
It’s pretty simple, like all my favorite recipes. I think that few right ingredients can make an astounding dish just as much as those complicated 25-ingredients recipes.
Spelt – Farro in Italian – is a species of wheat although it mostly considered to be a grain. It looks quite like brown rice but it has a more intense and slightly nutty flavour that goes well with almost any ingredient (just like rice).
You can make farro salads, casseroles or also substituteit to Carnaroli rice to make risotto – which will become “farrotto”. Although since it contains less gluten it will not become as creamy as the risotto.
It’s really versitile and really healthy too! It’s easier to digest and it’s rich in fibers.
The spelt I use is Farro della Garfagnana (IGP) from Tuscany (since I still couldn’t find it in the Netherlands although there are pre-made farro salads in the supermarket.. weird).
There are 3 kinds of farro: whole, semi-pearled and pearled; check your farro or spelt box before cooking since it may have different directions depending on the treatment it had. Some kinds of spelt need to be soaked in water for a while to soften and the boiling time may vary from 15 to 45 minutes.
If you bought a box of spelt or farro and you don’t exactly know what to do with it, start with this recipe! It’s easy, quick and it will make you fall in love with farro, trust me!
- 180g (6 oz.) Pearled Farro
- 2 Garlic cloves
- 1 large Broccolo
- 12-14 Shrimps
- EVO Oil
- Salt, Pepper
- Chili Pepper in flakes
- 1 tbsp Butter
- 1 tbsp Parmesan cheese
- Boil the spelt in slightly salted water following the package instructions. Mine boils for 20 minutes.
- In a pan drizzle the oil and fry the garlic cloves halved until they start to color, then add the broccoli chopped in small pieces and add a little bit of water. Cover with the lid and cook for about 10 minutes.
- Roughly chop the shrimps in 2 or 3 parts and add them to the pan; season with salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes.
- Remove the lid and cook for 1-2 minutes, then add the drained spelt.
- Turn off the heat, add a knot of butter and the Parmesan cheese to blend the flavours together and serve.
- TIP 1: Add a tablespoon of chopped tarragon for a fresh and aromatic flavour.
- TIP 2: Try it with smoked salmon instead of shrimps.. yum!
