Make This: Farro Verde & Mushrooms

Transitioning from greens to grains this fall.

This weekend it was grey, the days punctuated by bouts of rain. We managed to sneak off to the Saturday farmer’s market in between, though it was mostly slim pickings. In Charleston we’re in a transitional zone, no longer summer but not quite fall, and the market has little to offer until the good squash and root vegetables start to populate our table.

This was no help to me, as I was in the mood for a big tray of roasted root vegetables, cooked until their sugars caramelize and they go sweet and chewy.

Instead, I grabbed a handful of tender scallions and a bag of Farro Verde*, the youthful grain some may know as Freekeh. It is hearty, delightfully chewy, and savory. Since it’s harvested while still green and not fully ripe, the grain must be loosened from the plant by fire threshing, which creates a smoky quality. Cooked only in water the grains are so flavorful one might think they were stewed with a smoked ham hock, bay, and a handful of onion.

Back at the house, without the root vegetables I so craved, I opted for another seasonal fallback: the grain salad.