Farro Perlato Risotto(Wheat Pulav?)

We always think of basmati rice for making pulav. This recipe describes risotto made with Farro Perlato. The first time I ate it, it tasted like wheat pulav.

Farro Perlato is the Italian word for Emmer wheat. It is a wheat grain, actually a kernel that resembles barley from Popola di Foligno in the heart of Umbria.
Like the other grains in the wheat family, Spelt and Kamut, Farro is botanically closer to ancient varieties of grains. Farro is the first known grain in history, loved and appreciated – partly through force of circumstance, since at times it was the only food available - by the ancient Etruscans, Egyptians and Romans .

Farro has a high vitamin, mineral and fiber content. It is pleasantly chewy with a distinct sweet wheat taste. My son-in-law picked it up on a whim from Costco. I changed the risotto recipe slightly to make it like wheat pulav. It turned out to be really delicious, with a pleasant nutty feel to the grain. The ingredients for this risotto are:

1. Farro Perlato    2 cups (can we try with Indian white wheat?)
2. Onion     1
3. Potato    2
4. Tomato  5
5. Carrot   1
6. French beans- 1/2 cup pieces
7. Ginger   1"
8. Green chilli- 4
9. Olive oil- 50g

Asparagus- 1bunch

1. Basil- 1 bunch
2. Salt-   2 tsp
3. Pepper powder- 1tsp
4. Garlic powder- 1tsp
5. 21 Seasoning Salute- 2tsp 
6. Cut all the vegetables into small bits and keep aside.

Method:
Heat a pan adding 3 tsp olive oil and saute the wheat to a light brown  colour. Take another sauce pan with lid. Heat 10 tsp olive oil add onion, green chilli and the cut vegetables and saute in medium heat. Cover the pan with lid and let the contents cook for 10 minutes. Now add  the finely chopped tomato bits and basil leaves, wheat one by one. Stir the contents often. Add salt, pepper powder, garlic powder and 21 Seasoning Salute (available at Trader Joe's) mixing well simultaneously. Cover the lid and let the contents simmer for 30 minutes, periodically stirring the contents of the pot. Serve it hot with potato wafers. Enough for 4-5.
Note: Water is not to be used for cooking,- moisture in the vegetables will do for cooking the wheat.


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