Farro with Green Onion Sauce, Toasted Walnuts, and Asparagus

"If you are pressed for time, opt for a lightly or semi-pearled farro which will cut the cooking time for the grains down to about 20 minutes.  Barley makes a nice substitution if you can't find farro.

• 2 cups farro, picked over and rinsed
• 5 cups vegetable sock or water
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter
• 12 green onions, coarsely chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt, plus more as needed
• 1 bunch asparagus spears (about 1 lb.), trimmed and cut on a sharp diagonal into 1-inch pieces
• Grated zest of 1 lemon
• 1 cup toasted walnuts, coarsely chopped
• Crème Fraîche, for garnish
• Freshly grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
• Thinly sliced green onions, for garnish

Method

Combine the farro and stock in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat.  Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to an hour, or about half the time if you are using semi-pearled farro.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the chopped green onions and saute for 5 minutes, or until the onions start to soften.  Stir in a couple pinches of salt.  If you have a hand blender, transfer to a small bowl and lightly puree them, but don't go overboard.  Alternatively, puree them in a food processor.  After a pulse or two, they will start to get nice and creamy, but you want to maintain some nice big chinks of green in there as well.

When the farro is nearly cooked, stir in the asparagus.  Let the pot simmer for another couple of minutes, until the app0aragus is a vibrant green.  Some stock will still be visible in the pot.  This is fine; the farro will continue to absorb the liquid once removed from the heat.  Stir in the lemon zest, walnuts, and  the 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Add more salt to taste if needed.

ladle into bowls and garnish with a dollop of Crème Fraîche, a dusting of Parmesan cheese, an d a hearty spoonful of green onions.

Serves: 4 to 6

Reprinted with permission from© Heidi Swanson,  Super Natural Cooking: Five Ways to Incorporate Whole and Natural Ingredients into Your Cooking, published by Ten Speed Press. click here for book review

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