The Dish | Farro with Cranberries Pecans and Fresh Herbs

This is a perfect side dish for the autumn months and you can pair it with chicken, pork or beef. If you don’t like pecans you can use walnuts, almonds or pine nuts.  It is delicious warm, but also great at room temperature, making it an easy dish to bring to someone else’s house.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 1/2 cups farro rinsed
• 2 cup apple cider
• salt/pepper
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 onion chopped
• 1 shallot minced
• 1 leek chopped
• 1 clove garlic minced
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries chopped
• 1/2 cup toasted pecans chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh chives chopped

DIRECTIONS:

• Bring 6 cups of water and the apple cider to a boil.  Add farro and 1 tablespoon salt.  Return to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.  Cook for 15-20 minutes until grains are tender with a slight chew.  Drain the farro well and set aside.
• Melt the butter in a large saute pan.  Add the onion, shallot, and the leeks and cook about 6 minutes until they are soft then add the garlic and cook 3 more minutes. 
• Add the cranberries and the farro and cook 2 more minutes until farro has warmed through.  Turn off the heat and add the pecans, parsley and chives.  Season generously with salt and pepper.