Whole Emmer Farro Pilaf

Ingredients

Pilaf

Whole emmer berries, no mill needed. If your emmer is pearled or semi-pearled it will cook faster, so check the bag.

• 300g (1½ cups) whole emmer (farro) berries
• 750g (3 cups) chicken or vegetable stock
• 150g (1 medium) yellow onion, diced small
• 100g (1 large) carrot, diced small
• 80g (2 stalks) celery, diced small
• 12g (3 cloves) garlic, minced
• 30g (2 tablespoons) olive oil
• 20g (1½ tablespoons) unsalted butter
• 1 (1 leaf) bay leaf
• 3g (4 sprigs) fresh thyme
• 6g (1 teaspoon, plus more to taste) fine sea salt
• ½ lemon (½ lemon) lemon zest and juice
• 15g (¼ cup) flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Total flour: none, whole berries

Hydration: 2.5 parts liquid to 1 part grain by weight

Pro tip: Soak the emmer overnight in cold water and you cut the cook time roughly in half, to about 20 minutes. Drain it well before toasting. Not required, but useful on a weeknight.

Equipment

Method

Rinse and Inspect

Emmer is a hulled wheat, which means the hull comes off in processing rather than falling away at threshing. Good emmer arrives clean, but rinse anyway.

1. Rinse the berries. Rinse 300g of emmer in a fine mesh strainer under cold water for 30 seconds. Pick out any stones or hulls you see.
2. Check what you bought. Whole emmer keeps its bran and takes 30 to 40 minutes. Semi-pearled runs 20 to 25. Pearled runs 15 to 20. Whole has the most nutrition and the best chew.

Tip: Emmer is one of the three original hulled wheats along with einkorn and spelt. That extra processing step is why it costs more than common wheat, and it is also why the grain arrives intact and stores so well.

Build the Aromatic Base

Standard mirepoix, cooked slow enough to sweeten.

1. Sweat the vegetables. Warm the olive oil and butter in a heavy saucepan over medium. Add the onion, carrot, and celery with a pinch of salt and cook 8 to 10 minutes until soft and just starting to color.
2. Add the garlic. Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute more, just until fragrant. Do not let it brown.

Tip: Take the full ten minutes on the vegetables. This is where the dish gets its depth, and rushing it is why most pilaf tastes flat.

Toast the Grain, Then Simmer

Toasting the berries in the fat before liquid goes in is the whole difference between a pilaf and boiled grain.

1. Toast the emmer. Add the drained emmer and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes until the berries smell nutty and look glossy.
2. Add liquid and aromatics. Pour in the stock, add the bay leaf, thyme, and salt, and bring to a boil.
3. Simmer covered. Drop to low, cover, and simmer 30 to 40 minutes for whole emmer. Do not stir. Check at 30 minutes.
4. Rest off the heat. Pull it off, keep the lid on, and rest 10 minutes. The grains finish absorbing and firm up.

Wait: PT40M

Tip: Emmer should stay chewy at the center. If it goes soft and splits open, it overcooked. Start checking at 25 minutes the next time.

Finish and Serve

Acid and herbs at the end, off the heat. This is what keeps it from tasting heavy.

1. Fluff and remove aromatics. Pull out the bay leaf and thyme stems, then fluff with a fork.
2. Add lemon and parsley. Stir in the lemon zest, a squeeze of juice, and the chopped parsley. Taste and correct the salt.
3. Serve warm. Good under roast chicken, alongside braised anything, or on its own with a fried egg on top.

Tip: Leftovers make an excellent cold grain salad. Add feta, cucumber, olive oil, and more lemon.

Finishing Variations

The base pilaf takes to a lot of directions. Pick one and commit rather than adding everything.

Classic Herb and Lemon (recommended)

The version written above. Clean, savory, works under almost any main.

1. Lemon and parsley. Zest, juice, and a generous handful of chopped parsley off the heat.
2. Finish with butter. A final knob of cold butter stirred in gives it gloss.

Mushroom and Parmesan

Heartier, closer to a risotto in spirit. Good as a main course in cold weather.

1. Brown mushrooms first. Sear 250g of sliced mushrooms in the pan before the mirepoix, then set aside and fold back in at the end.
2. Finish with parmesan. Stir in 50g grated parmesan off the heat.

Proof test: Bite a berry. It should give with a distinct chew at the center, never mushy and never hard. That chew is the entire reason to cook emmer instead of rice.

Cook

Stovetop only. No oven, no mill.

Oven: 100°C / 212°F. Internal temperature when done: not applicable°C / not applicable°F.

Stovetop, Covered (recommended)

The standard pilaf method. Toast, add liquid, cover, simmer low, rest.

Equipment: Heavy saucepan or small Dutch oven with a tight lid

1. Toast. 2 to 3 minutes in the fat until nutty.
2. Simmer. Covered on low, 30 to 40 minutes for whole emmer.
3. Rest. 10 minutes off the heat with the lid on.

Pressure Cooker

Fast, and good if you cook emmer often. Less control over the final texture.

Equipment: Electric pressure cooker

1. Sauté then seal. Build the base on the sauté setting, toast the grain, add 600g stock rather than 750g.
2. Cook and release. High pressure 12 minutes for whole emmer, then natural release 10 minutes.

Note: Not everything you buy a bag of grain for has to become bread. A member with one bag of emmer and no mill can still cook this tonight, and that widens who the ancient grain conversation is for.

Storage

• Room temperature: Serve within 2 hours.
• Refrigerated: 5 days in a sealed container. Good cold as a grain salad.
• Frozen: 3 months. Freeze in flat portions for faster thawing.
• Refresh: Reheat in a skillet with a splash of stock over medium heat, or microwave covered with a damp paper towel.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is emmer the same as farro?

Mostly. Farro is an Italian umbrella term covering three grains: farro piccolo is einkorn, farro medio is emmer, and farro grande is spelt. When a bag just says farro, it is almost always emmer.

Do I need a grain mill for this?

No, and that is the point. This recipe uses the whole berry exactly as it arrives. It is the best first recipe for anyone who has bought ancient grain but has not bought a mill yet.

What is the difference between whole, semi-pearled, and pearled?

How much bran has been abraded away. Whole keeps all of it and takes 30 to 40 minutes. Semi-pearled has some removed, 20 to 25 minutes. Pearled has most removed, 15 to 20 minutes, with the least fiber. Whole gives you the best chew and the most nutrition.

Can I use spelt or einkorn berries instead?

Yes. Spelt berries behave almost identically, same timing. Einkorn berries are smaller and cook faster, about 25 minutes, with a softer result. Hard red or hard white wheat berries also work but take closer to 50 minutes.

Can I cook it plain and use it through the week?

Yes, and it is a good habit. Simmer the berries in salted water for 30 to 40 minutes, drain, and refrigerate up to 5 days. Toss into salads, soups, and bowls.

Is emmer gluten free?

No. Emmer, einkorn, spelt, and khorasan are all wheat species and all contain gluten. Anyone with celiac disease should avoid them and talk to their physician.

Nutrition

Per serving (1 side serving (185g)): 290 calories, 48g carbohydrates, 10g protein, 8g fat, 7g fiber, 480mg sodium. Makes 6 servings.