Farro and Black Rice with Zucchini

  Posted on June 17, 2013  by Leslie Blythe  No comments

Guest blogger Jessica (Denver, CO) from Beauty Marks again.

Leslie and I met in Paris for our junior year abroad in 19XX, in a dorm, or foyer, in the 14th arrondissement. Another of our best pals from that year, Jody, lives all of a mile and a half from me here in Denver. She and her family have done their best to introduce us to Denver’s fine dining and drinking. We also use each other as guinea pigs in the kitchen. This is a recent impromptu side dish from an impromptu dinner. The verdict: Outstanding.

Farro is a food product composed of the grains of certain wheat species in whole form. There is much confusion or disagreement about exactly what farro is. Emmer, spelt, and einkorn are called farro in Italy, sometimes (but not always) distinguished as farro medio, farro grande, and farro piccolo, respectively. Black rice, also known as purple rice or forbidden rice, is high in nutritional value and contains 18 amino acids, iron, zinc, copper, carotene, and several important vitamins. The grain is similar to brown rice, which has a mild, nutty taste.

Farro and Black Rice with Zucchini

Serves about 8 as a side dish
1 cup farro
1 cup black rice
½ large onion
extra virgin olive oil
3 medium zucchini, sliced 1/4″ thick
2 Tbs chopped Italian parsley
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook farro and rice according to package directions and set aside.

Heat a good quality of olive oil, then sauté onions until they start to get translucent. Add zucchini and sauté all together for WAY longer than you’d think, till the zucchini and onion are both browned in spots. This took me about 45 minutes last time I did it. Season as desired.

Toss farro and rice in large bowl, and add in parsley. Add zucchini and onions and all the oil they cooked in. Toss again, and season again to taste. Serve warm or cold.