This
one-pot dish is a flavor bomb that is packed with veggies. Chicken sausage, fennel, onions, and hearty farro are seasoned with pickled, mildly spicy peperoncini and garlic to create a savory, stew-like rice dish. Finely chopped parsley stems are added for extra depth (the stems—often overlooked—pack a lot of punch, and tossing them would be a waste). The farro is finished by stirring in juicy cherry tomatoes, baby spinach, and topping it with a generous amount of Parmesan.
Farro, a Mediterranean staple—particularly in Italy—belongs to a wheat category that includes three species of grains: einkorn, emmer, and spelt. An ancient grain cultivated for thousands of years, emmer is the most common variety grown in Italy and is what is generally referred to when farro is specified in a recipe.
When shopping for farro, you may encounter various processed forms. For this recipe, we chose whole-grain emmer farro, but pearled and semi-pearled options are also available. Pearling involves removing the outer bran, giving the grain a pearlescent appearance and reducing the cooking time. To identify the type, check the cooking times: Pearled cooks in 15 minutes or less, and semi-pearled takes about 30 minutes. We recommend whole-grain, but semi-pearled works well too—simply simmer uncovered for the recommended time on the package.
Did you try this recipe? Let us know how it went in the comments!