Emmer (known as Farro in Italy) and its various different versions, is a wholehearted, wonderful grain. Like rice, it has a personality that is willing to be molded to match any meal. It can support many dishes as a side, as a platform for your newest concoction of papaya, tomato and toasted macadamia nut salsa, or as the base for a wonderful spring salad. You should read our article about emmer and Lena Lentz, who you can see here in the pictures. A fourth generation farmer who, in the very simplest way, is still creating the "amber waves of grain" that Katharine Lee Bates wrote so eloquently about in 1885, and put to music in 1888.
The Rainier Club was founded in Seattle in 1888, in honor of British admiral Peter Rainier. In 1904, while Frank Lloyd Wright was creating the Larkin Building and The Darwin Martin House in Buffalo, and The Unity Temple in Chicago - well established cities - Seattle was still the Wild West. The Rainier Club hired west coast architects, Kirtland K. Cutler and Karl G. Malmgren, to build a Jacobean-style building modeled on England's Aston Hall. That same building still serves and houses the club today - a compliment to the architects on their practical, yet elegant design.
Chef Bill Morris (click on Food & Wine, and then Chef's Table to see Chef Bill's menus) has been the head chef at The Rainier Club since 1995, creating some of the most inviting and creative dishes that we see today. Using extremely fine and subtle ingredients, and pairing them with local produce and grains, his dishes are a wonderful treat to your palette.
He shared a few of his ideas and uses of emmer with me in a recent email. Although he did not have any emmer-specific "recipes", he often uses emmer instead of rice, and his email on uses of emmer show how easy and versatile this hearty grain can be.
From Chef Bill;
We use [emmer] in methods of risotto, risotto cakes (made after the risotto is cooled down, then formed into cakes and cooked on a plancha), [and]... in various Tuscan style soups with hearty winter vegetables like parsnips, chard, cipolline onions, pumpkin etc. Another way we feature [emmer] is by cooking [it] pilaf style and folding [it] together with sautéed or roasted wild mushrooms, caramelized garlic, duck confit and wrapping it up in feuilles de brick pastry or phyllo and frying or baking.
See Chef Bill's menus by clicking on Food & Wine and then Chef's Table.
And our very own Lesa, of The Pink Hobart, who wrote the article "Finding Farro" shares her recipe for Winter Farro and Greens Salad.
And there are more farro (emmer) recipes at the bottom of the newsletter. Don't miss them!
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Pernigotti the famed Italian chocolate maker, removes less fat from its cocoa, which results in a more intense and immediate chocolate flavor. |
Fastachi Nuts simply roasted in small batches with just sea salt, for clarity, perfection and clean, distinctive flavors. |
Hibiscus Flowers in Syrup are naturally wanting in your next drink, but think of a beautiful dish with a flower perfectly placed! |
This buttery, crisp - but slightly moist - shortbread is handmade by Willow McCrain in South Carolina's Lowcountry. |
2008 Pianogrillo Olio Nuovo & 2007 Pianogrillo On Sale Now
 For just for a brief moment we will have these favorite oils on sale. One of our suppliers has a few cases left, so we thought we would share the discounted pricing with you. At the time we wrote this newsletter, we were still negotiating the discount, so you will need to click the link to see the final price. This is a great time to get an all time favorite oil at a great price! Pour it over toasted bread and sprinkle with your favorite sea salt, drench your pasta, or even make french fries in a vat of Pianogrillo (okay, maybe not french fries...) Use the oil quickly and with abandon, and feel better than ever. While supplies last.
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