I had my first bite of farro a year ago, when Zingerman's Roadhouse added a Farro Piccolo dish with mushrooms, parmesan and cream to their menu. I wasn't familiar with farro prior to that, and on first taste I thought I was sampling a pasta or perhaps a chewy rice. In fact, farro is far more interesting ... and nutritious.

Farro is an ancient grain, similar to spelt, that dates back thousands of years. It was a dietary staple in the Mediterranean and Near East regions during Biblical times, and reportedly was the primary ration of the Roman Legions. It is high in fiber and protein, stimulates the immune system and lowers cholesterol. You can find it in most higher-end grocery stores, shelved with other grains like quinoa and barley.

I wanted to recreate the Zingerman's recipe, but without the heavy cream, so I turned to the food blogs for inspiration. Merrill at food52.com had a recipe for a farro, mushroom and parmesan salad that looked delicious. I just increased the mushroom-to-farro ratio, reduced the amount of olive oil, and served the dish warm. It was ridiculously delicious. We ate it as a main dish for lunch, but it could easily serve as a side dish instead of rice or potatoes.

Since the ingredient list is short and each flavor stands out, I opted to use my "not for every day use" more expensive olive oil and went for the real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. The trick with the cheese is not to shred it, but rather to chop it finely or crumble it. You want to end up with bits of cheese that are about the same size as the farro.

Farro with roasted mushrooms and parmesan
adapted from a recipe from food52.com

1 cup uncooked farro perlato
Salt
12 ounces wild mushrooms (I used shiitake and crimini)
3 tablespoons olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/4 cup finely chopped or crumbled parmesan (not grated — you want a slightly coarser texture here)
1/4 cup roughly chopped parsley

1. Heat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium saucepan, combine the farro and enough cold water to cover it by about an inch. Soak for 20 minutes. Drain well and return the farro to the pan, covering it with approximately 2 cups of cold water. Add a few generous pinches of salt and bring to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes, until the farro is tender but still has some bite.

2. While the farro is cooking, wipe and trim the mushrooms and then cut them into bite-sized pieces. Arrange them on a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle with about a tablespoon (or more) of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss gently to distribute everything; spread the mushrooms out evenly on the baking sheet and put in the oven for about 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, until crisp around the edges and cooked through.

3. When the farro is cooked, drain it well and combine it with the mushrooms in a serving bowl. Add the lemon juice and 2 tablespoons of olive oil, tossing gently to combine. Then add the parmesan, parsley and a generous grinding of pepper and fold gently. Taste and add more salt, pepper or olive oil if necessary. Serve warm or at room temperature. It's also quite good chilled.

Serves 4

Jessica Webster leads the Food & Drink section for the AnnArbor.com community team. You can reach her at JessicaWebster@AnnArbor.com.