Where can I get farro?

[CTyankee]

I'd like to make it...I have some recipes that sound pretty good.

[The empressof all]

1. They carry it in my major grocery stores now

It's usually somewhere around the Rice or Pasta. You'll have to really look though because there are only one or two brands. I know Whole Foods carries it but so do my local grocers. You just might want to ask where they are hiding it. Two of my stores carry it in their natural foods bulk bins.

You also can look in an Italian specialty shop or good Organic/Health food store.

If you can't get it locally

Igourmet.com has it but you can get it cheaper in the store

[CTyankee]

2. Thanks. I'll try my local organic vegetarian market here in town...

nt

[The empressof all]

3. BTW I've made this recipe....

http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/farro-and-roasted-butternut-squash-recipe.html

Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash.



It's probably more of a fall thing but it is an OUTSTANDING way to make Farro.


It's also great in a salad with fresh cherry tomatoes and a balsamic dressing with lots of basil. It sort of reminds me of an Italian Tabbouleh.

Farro is really delish when you dress it with a dressing made with Nut Oils. I have a little stash of Walnut Oil that I keep in my fridge for the farro but olive oil is great with it too.

[hippywife]

4. That sounds fabulous!

Thanx for posting it. :hi:

[The empressof all]

5. It's a great recipe and very easy

I've made it with Barley and with quinoa. It would be just as delish with some fragrant rice if that's all you have around.

[CTyankee]

6. I'm going to be in Tuscany in September and will probably have it there.

I think it is a Tuscan speciality.

[The empressof all]

7. When you are in Florence

Suck it up and stand in line at Il Latini. It's a meal you'll never forget....Great fun. Don't worry about a menu...Just eat what they bring you. It's a tourist trap but you'll sit with people from all over the world and have a great time.

http://www.illatini.com/illatini/ristorante/premio-latini?lang=en

[CTyankee]

8. Oh, don't worry. That restaurant is on my list for the reasons you list!

As a matter of fact, I've even gotten it broken down by neighborhood. I'll be spending 8 days in Florence and will have lots of time to spend on lunches and dinners...between lectures and museum/church visits.

[The empressof all]

9. Bring extra money

I still regret not getting a gold bracelet that I saw on my first visit to Florence when I was in my twenties. I still long for it. I went back to the same store on subsequent visits but it wasn't there and I couldn't get across what I was specifically looking for with the language. It was $300 back in 1986. A fortune for me back then. My husband talked me out of it and I still can muster up a little rage towards him when I think about it.....especially because he bought a leather coat. :mad: :rofl: :mad:....Boy was I a fool! But it taught me not to always deprive yourself of you impulses. Self control is not always a good thing.

I think the open air markets are fun but really a rip off. The only good quality leather stuff I really found to buy in the stalls were gloves. Everything else is poor quality and over priced.

Go to the Farmacia Santa Maria Novella and get your friends some Acqua di Anti Hysteria. It's a remedy for "female troubles" that dates back to the Renaissance.

[CTyankee]

10. Back in 06 I got some nice silk and leather items that didn't cost that much.

I'll be in the Santa Maria Novella neighborhood and will check out that farmacia...they seem to be on every corner in Italian cities but I will check it out. I love it, Acqua di Anti Hysteria!

In 08 I got a very nice leather wallet in an open air market in Verona. It's great and still holding up...no worries!

I'm not there for shopping anyway. I'm there for an intensive art study with a small group with Trinity College (CT). As an art crazed person, it is one of my great passions. I have done research on Italian Renaissance art for over a year for this venture!

[elleng]

11. Hey yank, still have a sweater I bought there in 1964!!!

:hi:

[CTyankee]

14. What a treasure!

What does it look like?

[elleng]

19. Simple, deep blue, mock turtle, long sleeves.

Student at the time, so price at the market was GREAT! Was during my Jr. year abroad, when I 'lived' in Britain (Nottingham/London,) visited 'The Continent,' and my 'education' began!

[CTyankee]

20. Wow. You missed the big flood by 2 years...

the sweater sounds nice...

[The empressof all]

16. I have two that I bought on my honeymoon in 1986

They are beautiful. I have them in space bags. I saved them for my daughter but she thinks they're quite ugly. :shrug: Maybe someday...they will fit me again. :rofl:

[hippywife]

12. I have never heard of this!

How very intriguing! And very expensive! I was reading about it on a few different blogs this morning and found this link to buy it here:

http://elaineyau.blogspot.com/2009/03/santa-maria-novella.html

Lucky you getting to visit and indulge your passions! :hi:

[CTyankee]

13. It will be my last trip to Europe for a while.

Everything is just too expensive.

This trip is through "Road Scholar," a program that used to be called "Elderhostel." It's not as expensive as some trips are, but I can't do something like this again. However, it has been a dream of mine and I am willing to sacrifice other things for it.

Thanks for the link! It's fabulous. I've sent it to my travel buddy...

[hippywife]

23. At least you've gotten to go. Sigh.

I hope you have a fabulous time. :hi:

[CTyankee]

25. Thank you. I don't spend much money on anything else because everything is

just so expensive, even simple things. I am fortunate to have had a run of several years where I went to Europe and experienced wonderful things. Now there comes a hiatus and that's fine. It's all in the sweep of things. AS long as my loved ones are OK, I'm OK...

[The empressof all]

15. The Farmacia itself is worth a visit for it's beauty alone

Frescoes, huge ceilings, weird and wonderful cabinets, centuries old that hold who knows what. Despite it's age it's also remarkably modern...and so Italian.

The water is actually mostly alcohol. It's not so expensive when you buy it at the store. The shipping and duty and costs to the countless middlemen make it far more expensive that it is at the store.

It's fun to tell the person behind the counter what your ailment is and have them come up with a vial of something from the Renaissance that'll fix you right up. :rofl: We got cream for my husbands psoriasis that did seem to ease his flare up. But I think they were using cold tar back then as well. :shrug:

[CTyankee]

17. I googled it and saw some pics. It DOES look beautiful...

I think I'll get some of their products when I'm there and bring them back as gifts for my daughters and dtr in law. The bottles alone are pretty enough to have on display in your bathroom!

[The empressof all]

18. The smallest vials are plastic

They are still a lovely shape. The perfume comes in beautiful bottles. It's extremely strong and a little goes a long way! I still have a bottle of patchouli perfume that I bought on my first visit there. I stopped liking that smell years ago but couldn't throw it away.

They use to have a flyer that resembled a menu of items they sell. The design and paper replicated something from the Renaissance. I brought it home and threw it in a cheap frame. It's hanging in one of my bathrooms.

[CTyankee]

21. Great idea for a bathroom! My dtr has a beach house that she is redoing right now.

I'll take your idea and see if she likes it. She needs stuff for her bathroom walls...

[hippywife]

22. I would love to see Italy!

My great-grandparents emigrated from there, but I'll never be able to afford to go. I just live off other people's stories and pics.

I got that the "water" is mostly alcohol, LOL, but how much is it when you buy it at he Farmacia? Just for a comparison to the $84 that place in NY charges for it.

:hi:

[The empressof all]

24. You never know......

Travel sometimes always seems like something that is beyond our means but there are ways to go less expensively. (I can't say it's cheap) If you can spring for a once in a life time trip somewhere, Europe is no more expensive than flying cross country, or to Hawaii. There are places to stay super cheaply and Hostels are open to all ages.... I saved for one of our trips for several years through a vacation club. We stayed at inexpensive hostels and ate mostly out of open air markets and super markets. I've been all over and have been able to go to Italy on several visits. It's not the most inexpensive places to visit but it's not as bad as Switzerland which is crazy pricey.

I know it's not easy with money and it seems like an unnecessary extravagance but travel is soul opening and brings experience and memories that are priceless.

My best guess would be that the little vials of "water" are probably about the equivalent of $15 or less.

[CTyankee]

26. One blessing is that the Euro is cheaper now against the dollar than it was last year

when I went to Portugal. I spent next to NO money in Portugal, except for food. No presents, T shirts, caps, only a few small ceramics (tiles there were their dominant art form). It was also a group tour with a museum in CT. Good art loving folks tho so I felt right at home. I know people make fun of tours but sometimes, if you get the right ones, you get a great price on your trip. My philosophy is "once you're there, you're there." You can be flexible and see great things...

[The empressof all]

27. My kid is going to Austria for the fall semester

She's going to be living in an apartment and will have to cook for herself. She has no interest in the kitchen but can make ramen and cereal. She won't starve. I'm glad the dollar is doing better now to the Euro. She spends money like water and she'll need to stick to a strict budget. :rofl: It will be a learning experience for sure.

[CTyankee]

28. What a great opportunity for her! I always say to young people "travel and see the

world now while you are young. You may not get the chance again!"

Maybe your daughter can pick up some cooking tips from native Austrians and learn so great recipes she never tried before.

What is she majoring in/interested in doing after graduation?

[The empressof all]

30. She's a musician and actor

She's planning on living off the generosity of her parents....:rofl:

I think she'll head off to LA or NY and audition. You never know unless you try.

She's thinking about getting her PhD in music so she can become an unemployed Professor. :rofl:


Oooooh....Before I forget....Make sure you eat the local Pecarino even if you need to go to a cheese market to get it. The young romano in Florence is amazing and not something you see much of in the states.

[CTyankee]

33. Thank you empress!

I will not forget getting some Pecorino. I think there is a market not far from the Santa Maria Novella neightborhood where my hotel is located...

Hope your daughter has a "better" idea of what she wants to do as time goes by. It is helpful in the life process, ya know....

[Tesha]

29. I LOVE the link!

I opened the recipe tab and found some real gems like...

Ribollita

Ingredients: Tuscan kale, savoy cabbage, beet, olive oil, leek, salt and pepper, carrots, celery, red onion, white beans, parsley, basil, whole wheat bread, ripe tomatoes

Preparation:
Fries of olive oil and leek.
Add the ripe tomatoes preserved if possible.
Then add the vegetables, that before you have cut in cubes.
Add the white beans with their water.
When the vegetable soup is ready, cover it with the bread slices; add olive oil and let boil.



My ex's Italian grandmother taught me to make pasta just like that.:9

[The empressof all]

31. I know.....made me want to go out and get a wild boar!

:rofl:

When it comes to meat....good pork is my one weakness.

[CTyankee]

32. I've made ribolitta but without the bread. It's a classic fall dish there.

My recipe came from the NT Times but this one is a hoot!