One of our favorite dinners. The combination of sherry vinegar, garlic and hazelnuts makes this dish taste fantastic!
Shaped like a pearl, farro is an easy to cook ancient grain that is part of the wheat family. It is said to have originated in Egypt. Italians too have celebrated this grain for centuries!
Learn to make it with easy directions here.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cup of uncooked farro (quick cook) or original
1 lb (a little less than 500 grams) of green beans / French beans
1 tablespoon Sherry vinegar
1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar (Mine is from Schat's Bakery near Mammoth Lakes, but any good quality is OK)
1 Garlic clove, cut finely or 1 tablespoon garlic powder
2-3 tablespoons Olive oil
Handful of hazelnuts (Find them in any grocery store, mine are from Trader Joe's)
Salt and pepper (to taste)
How to make this dish
FARRO
Cook farro per directions on the box. I buy farro that cooks in 10-minutes from Whole Foods or Trader Joe's but the more authentic variety needs to be soaked overnight and takes a bit of time to cook. You can't go wrong with either as long as you cook them according to directions.
If you have any water left over while cooking farro, drain it all out. The texture of farro should stay firm, no fun in mushy farro. Once done, season farro with salt and pepper and drizzle a tablespoon of olive oil over it. Mix.
GREEN BEANS
Cut green beans into bite sized pieces and cook them until soft enough to eat. I usually stove-cook my green beans but I know folks who steam or microwave them. Any method is fine - just don't make it mushy and unrecognizable. A slight crunch is good and probably a better way to eat vegetables anyway.
When I cook my green beans, I start with a tablespoon of oil in my pan. As it heats, I throw my washed-n-cut green beans, sprinkle salt and garlic powder over it and cook it covered for about 15 minutes, checking on it periodically. I keep the gas flame on low so the risk of burning the vegetables is low.
GET A BIG BOWL / PAN
Once both the green beans and the farro are cooked and have relatively cooled down, put them both in a large bowl. Alternatively you can use one of the same pans you used to cook the farro or beans.
GET A MEASURING SPOON
It is time for the dressing that you can drizzle on top. Using a measuring spoon, drizzle a tablespoon of sherry vinegar, a tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, a tablespoon of garlic powder. If the farro-green beans mixture feels dry, add another tablespoon of olive oil, or a tablespoon of water.
Note: If you are using a minced garlic glove instead of powder, cook it with the green beans.
DON'T FORGET THE HAZELNUTS
Chop hazelnuts. You can crush them finer if you don't want pieces of hazelnut in your mouth but rough is good enough for me. We actually like the crunch!
Sprinkle hazelnuts for the crunch and serve!
Green Sea Shells is all about the joyful pursuit of happiness. Healthy living is happy living! Join me as I celebrate cultures through food. Subscribe to the blog updates and follow me on social media platforms on FaceBook, Instagram and Twitter.
You will see a few affiliate Amazon links in this post. These are the products I bought to make this dish. Know that if you go through them and make a purchase, I will earn a commission.
