Saffron Farro + Lentil Stew with Creme Fraîche and Toasted Almonds

In my quest to fill our pantry with an endless array of gluten-free options, I stupidly brought home a pound of farro last week. I've been a fan of farro for years, so I felt like a total ass when I realized that I knew very little about it. I do know that at some point in time I heard someone mention "farro" and "gluten-free" in the same sentence, and I just went with it. I figured if buckwheat was safe (which, I've just learned isn't actually a wheat), then why couldn't emmer wheat apply to the same principles? I swear I'm not an idiot, guys, but I am still very new to this. When you go from a life of zero dietary restrictions to all of a sudden having one very big and significant dietary restriction, well, it's really not as simple as one would think. 

It was all good and fine, though. Like I mentioned, Cheech and I are still consumers of gluten. I had bought the farro specifically to use for soups, and she and I are the bigger soup-eaters in the house anyway. If you do happen to be gluten-free, this soup would be just as delightful if you substituted any type of rice, or even skipped out on the grain and doubled up on the lentils.

Many chefs believe that if you can taste saffron in a dish, then too much saffron was used. Although I wholeheartedly understand their angle, I do think that that's taking the idea a little too far. You need very little saffron to get your point across, but if I'm going to be using the most expensive ingredient on the market, you better believe I want to taste it. There's a fine line, however. Too much of a good thing is never good, and too much saffron can lead to a very medicinal flavor in your food. The golden rule in cooking (and in life, I suppose) is that you can always add more, but you can never take away. Start with the tiniest amount, and slowly build up. For this recipe, I used half of what is pictured in the photo above, so about 10 strands. 

Saffron Farro + Lentil Stew with Creme Fraîche and Toasted Almonds

1 large shallot, diced

2 medium carrots, diced

1 large clove of garlic, diced

1/2 c. of lentils

1/2 c. of farro

1/2 c. of white wine

1/2 c. of tomato sauce

4 1/2 c. of stock (chicken or veggie)

saffron

creme fraîche

handful of almonds, toasted and chopped

olive oil

salt + pepper

Sauté your shallots and carrots in some oil until the shallots start to become translucent. Add your garlic and sauté for a minute or two more. Add the wine and let all of the liquid cook out. Pour in your tomato sauce and your broth, along with your lentils. Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer. Cook with a lid partially covering your pot for 20 minutes. Add the farro and saffron. Replace the lid as it was, and cook for another 20 minutes. If your liquid levels are looking very low, feel free to add a little more stock. Season to taste and ladle into bowls, topping each with a spoonful of creme fraîche, a few toasted almonds, and a drizzle of olive oil. Serves 4.

Tapenade Quinoa Bowl with a Fried Egg

You'll soon realize that I put eggs on just about everything. They're an excellent source of protein, and I never tire of them. With the price of meat being astronomically high (especially grass-fed, pastured, organic meat), I probably only buy and cook it at home about three times a week. Eggs are an easy and affordable substitute. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this dish overall. We were low on food but too lazy to buy groceries, so I made do as best I could. Usually that plan works out quite well, though I do get the occasional dud. With a couple easy adjustments, however, I think this recipe can be turned into a winner. For one, I'd use white quinoa, which is what I typically buy. I noticed that the red quinoa at our market was about a dollar cheaper per pound in the bulk aisle, so I thought I'd give it a shot. We don't eat a ton of quinoa, and this was my first time preparing the red variety. In flavor, I thought it was excellent, but the texture killed it. Don't misunderstand me; I appreciate the natural bite that quinoa has to it, and in no way do I want it to be mushy, but this straight up felt like I was chomping down on thousands of tiny rubber bands. Maybe I did something wrong? I assumed that the cooking method would be the same, and from the Googling I've done, that does seem to be the case. Or, maybe I just bought shitty red quinoa and that was the reason for its low price point . 

The second mistake I made was adding too much tapenade. Tapenade, which is basically a combination of olives, herbs, garlic, anchovies (which I don't always use), and olive oil, is, as you can imagine, a condiment that packs a lot of punch. It's not the kind of thing you can just make a little of, so it's easiest to make a large batch, use what you need, and store the rest in the fridge. I got a little too ambitious when I added my tapenade to my quinoa, and probably put in double what I really should have. What resulted was a pot of terribly salty quinoa, so terribly salty tiny rubber bands. Had I enjoyed the red quinoa on its own, I would have saved it by quickly cooking and adding another batch to even out the flavor, but it simply wasn't worth it to me at that point. 

The recipe I have below was written with these revisions in mind. Also note, Joe claims he liked the tiny red rubber bands, so it may just be a personal issue. 

Tapenade Quinoa Bowl with a Fried Egg

1/2 c. of dry white quinoa (or red, if you like that sort of thing)

1 c. of cauliflower florets 

3 medium carrots, chopped into sticks

1 tbsp. of tapenade (recipe below)

2 eggs

olive oil

salt + pepper

Tapenade

1 1/2 c. of pitted mixed olives

1 small clove of garlic

2 stems of fresh oregano, leaves removed and stems discarded 

1 tbsp. of fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. of olive oil

Traditionally, tapenade is ground into a smooth paste which can easily be done by throwing all of the above ingredients into a food processor. I do also like a coarser-style tapenade, so I am happy to just throw the first three ingredients onto a butcher block and roughly chop away. Once I'm satisfied with the texture (see photo above), I toss my mixture with the lemon juice and olive oil. Tapenade will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week, especially if topped with extra olive oil. 

Toss the cauliflower and carrots with some olive oil and salt and pepper. Roast at 400º until they turn to a deep golden hue, roughly 15-20 minutes. Meanwhile, cook your quinoa according to the directions on the package. Once the quinoa is done, toss in the tapenade while it is still hot to fully incorporate the flavors. Divide your quinoa and veggies into two bowls, and top each with a fried or over easy egg.