Store emmer in an air-tight container in a cool, dry place.
While most Italian farro is sold par-boiled and pearled, this emmer has only been de-husked prior to packaging. The processed farro berries called for in some Italian recipes may cook to a softer texture than this farro. If you want this farro to have a softer texture, soak it in water for eight hours prior to cooking.
To cook farro, first rinse the farro grains. In a pot on the stove combine 2 parts water to 1 part berries. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover & reduce the heat to low. Simmer 45 minutes until tender. Serve hot as a starch, add to finished soups, or use it in hot or cold grain salads.
Cooked farro berries pair particularly well with pork, especially sausage & bacon.
You can substitute stock for the water and add vegetables, as in this
farro pilaf recipe.
Emmer berries can also used to make home ground flour. Because they are harder than wheat, the resulting flour will have an exceptionally fine consistency. Emmer flour is better suited to flatbreads (particularly pizza), biscotti, and pasta (as a semolina substitute) than loaf breads, but can (with practice) be used in some rye bread recipes as a rye substitute.
Home brewers sometimes use emmer berries in homemade emmer “wheat beer,” and they are said to produce excellent whiskey and beer when malted.
Emmer/Farro Recipes
