Farro or Pharaoh? Rice or Pasta? Even Wikipedia Doesn't Know!

I can't tell which category farro falls under, but what I can tell you is that it's a fabulous and flavor-lovin' alternative to a starchy rice, like arborio rice, which you often find in risotto. A hearty grain that's low gluten, farro is amazing replacement to any side or main dish starch in your diet and WAY easy to prepare.

Getting back to risotto... I have to admit, I've never actually made risotto! But what I do know is that even the most talented chefs find it temperamental and annoying because it's a grain you can't just boil and walk away from. You have to watch and stir...and watch and stir some more (like 45 minutes more! Yikes!). Thus, farro is the alternative or "faux" risotto. 

Faux-sotto? Sounds fancy and complicated...trust me though, it's far from it!

I made farro over the last few evenings, once as a side dish, the other as a main dish, paella to be exact!

Sauteed the side dish above with mushrooms with onion, garlic, farro, and topped with some fresh Parmeasan and chopped walnuts. An excellent faux-sotto side.

Farro is great because it doesn't dry out like rice or get mushy when saturated with too much liquid, like a pasta would. It's tender and holds flavor really well, unlike qunioa (I swear I'm not a  hater but a waivering believer still!), which should be overseasoned more often than not. 

You see I have this thing for over cooking...I sometimes doubt myself and then I end up with burnt paella! So after my embarassing paella kerfuffle a few weekends ago, I decided arborio rice was the devil of starches and I found that the savior was farro, which made for an even tastier, replacement.

I mean seriously, paella is literally throwing a bunch of different ingredients into one pot and simmering it. Despite messing it up the first time, second time was a charm!

FYI...before this paella, I had NEVER cooked with mussels before. Needless to say, all of them opened, cooked to tender perfection and weren't chewy at all (unlike clams when they are overcooked). Mussels are also pretty inexpensive and damn impressive! For less than $2.50, I bought 0.5 pounds of fresh mussels...which allowed me to splurge on with some Spanish saffron :)

I think (hope) I redeemed myself with this rich, hearty and healthy paella dish, great for sharing (hello, tapas party anyone!?) or perhaps a fanciful date night! 

Oh...did I mention that mussels are a natural aphrodisiac? As Borat once said...SEXY TIME!

Farro Paella with Chicken Sausage, Mussels and Shrimp

Kneading Sass original

Ingredients:

• 1 cup farro
• 2 cups low sodium chicken broth
• 2 Roma tomatoes, pureed (or 1 can of diced tomatoes)
• 1/2 white onion, chopped
• 3 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 sweet pepper, chopped (red, orange or yellow will do, green, however is too bitter for this dish!)
• 10-12 large raw, deveined and peeled shrimp (I used frozen)
•  2 links of you favorite chicken sausage (I used Andouille for to add a kick of heat!)
• 2 Tbl. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• 1/4 tsp chili powder
• Pinch of saffron (optional)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Fresh lemon

Directions: 

1. Cook your chicken sausage over medium heat, until crispy on both sides. My chicken sausage was pre-cooked so I just heat it for 4-6 minutes in some olive oil. Set chicken sausage aside. 
2. In the same pan cook raw shrimp, 2-3 minutes on each side. Shrimp will continue to cook in paella later, so don't worry about undercooking. You are looking for a bit of pink here. Set aside with chicken sausage. 
3. In large shallow pan, add remaining olive oil, onions and peppers. Cook for about 6-7 minutes on medium-low heat until soft and translucent. Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.
4. Add in farro. We want to toast the farro before adding any liquids, just like you do with basmati rice or quinoa.
5. Add pureed tomatoes, saffron, salt, pepper, paprika and chili powder.
6. Cook for another 2 minutes or so before adding in stock. Slowly add stock and bring pan to a boil. 
7. Once farro and stock come to a boil, bring the heat down to a simmer for about 15 minutes and cover with the lid.
8. Halfway through those 15 minutes, add shrimp, sausage and layer the top of the pan with mussels. Place lid back on and allow to continue to cook on simmering heat. HINT! You'l know when mussels will be done when the steam pushes the shells open (super easy indicator, I know!) 
9. Serve immediately, piping hot and straight from the pan. :)

Note: There might be some liquid after all the cooking is said and done, but this is totally normal! The seafood and sausage will eventually soak it up. I added a squeeze of lemon right before I served it.