Invite This Salad to your Holiday Table

Christmas Slaw with Farro, Pomegranates, Cherries and Pistachios Every feast needs something fresh and crunchy to balance rich holiday foods.  Here it is.  Call it a slaw, since it has purple cabbage, but that’s where ordinary ends. This slaw is powered with super-food status foods with histories of nourishing people since ancient times. Farro, an […]

Summer is Pickling Season

Summer Salad with Pickled Figs, Farro, Nuts and Seeds People are pickling – and it’s not just cucumbers. I’ve seen pickled seeds, fruits and all kinds of vegetables. It goes hand-in-hand with taste trends leaning to bolder, sour, sweet and spicy combos. It’s nothing new.  My great-grandma pickled out of necessity, to preserve the summer […]

Let’s Go Bowling!

Italian-Style Grain Bowl with California Figs Bowls are the “it” way to eat. Everywhere you look for recipe idea you’ll find noodle, smoothie and grain bowls.  Recently I created a bowl recipe and  my family was smitten. I got it. Bowls are perfect for personalization. Today people expect to have food “their way.”  (Reference 1.) […]

The Cow is Queen

  Farro and Spring Asparagus Salad with Fava Beans, Arugula, Basil and Oil-Cured Tomato Dressing from Chef Lisa Dupar     I’m not a farm girl.    Of course I seek the best quality agriculture products for my never-ending kitchen exploits, but the closest I get to a farm is a trip to the Farmer’s […]

A Taste of Morocco

Moroccan-Spiced Farro Stuffed Bell Peppers When I was a teenager, I feel in love with the deeply fragrant spice combinations of Morocco.  I had picked up a discounted copy of Paula Wolfert’s book, Couscous and Other Good Food from Morocco, and began to curiously cook and eat my way through an ancient cuisine with strange […]

Farro, Barley and Amaranth, Risotto-Style

Ancient Grains Risotto   I’ll never give up traditional risotto, made with Italian Arborio or Carnaroli varieties of refined rice, but sometimes I want something with a little more heft and chew, like this version I cooked up with old-world grains, farro, pearl barley and amaranth.  Barley and amaranth gives the dish a creamy starchiness as […]