Creamy Farro With Honey-Roasted Grapes

By mm_food4me

I'm usually in too much of a rush to cook something hot for breakfast. But this hearty, comforting farro cereal adapted from Maria Speck's Ancient Grains for Modern Meals: Mediterranean Whole Grain Recipes for Barley, Farro, Kamut, Polenta, Wheat Berries & More is now my favorite morning dish when I have more time to spend in the kitchen. The original recipe called for using grapes alone, but I had some plums and apples sitting on my kitchen counter, so I decided to add them to the grapes. The result was a riot of color, and when I grilled the fruits, an irresistible aroma filled my kitchen. This dish will keep in the refrigerator for a couple of days. It tastes great cold, but also reheats well.

Note: I had trouble finding anise seeds in my local supermarket so I used anise powder instead, which seemed to work fine. Anise seeds are available online and at some health food stores.

Ingredients

• 2 cups water
• 1 cup farro
• 1 teaspoon anise seeds or 1/2 teaspoon anise powder
• 1 (1-inch) piece cinnamon stick
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup seedless red or purple grapes 
(about 1 1/4 pounds)
• 1 cup or about 6 small plums sliced in halves
• 1 apple, cored and sliced
• 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 3 tablespoons honey plus extra for serving
• 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream, or half-and-half yogurt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Ground cinnamon, for sprinkling on top

Preparation

Step 1

To make the farro, bring the water, farro, anise seeds or powder, cinnamon stick and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan. Decrease the heat to a simmer, cover, and cook until the farro is tender but still slightly chewy, about 20 to 25 minutes, or cook according to the package directions. Remove the cinnamon stick. (If there is liquid remaining in the farro, place the farro in a strainer to drain off the extra liquid and return the farro to the saucepan.)

Preheat the broiler and position the rack about 6 inches from the heat source. Coat a large baking sheet with a thin slick of olive oil. Spread the grapes, plums and apple on the baking sheet. Drizzle the fruit with the olive oil and 2 tablespoons of honey, and toss to combine.

Broil the fruits until they just start to shrivel and release some of their juices as they burst, about 5 to 7 minutes. (The grapes and plums may roast more quickly than the apple.) Immediately transfer the fruits with their juices to a heatproof bowl.

Add the cream and vanilla extract to the farro, and bring the farro to a boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Cook the mixture until the cream thickens slightly, 3 to 5 minutes. Stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of honey, add the fruits with their juices, and cook the cereal just a minute or so to reheat the fruit and farro.

Divide the cereal among bowls, sprinkle it with cinnamon, and serve the dish warm with more honey on the side.