Serves: 4
Night Before:
1 cup farro,
3 cups water
Day of:
Soaked and drained farro
3- ¼ inch slices of pancetta (or thick bacon), diced
¼ cup minced ramp bulbs, leaves reserved, torn vertically
8- ½ inch wide stalks of asparagus, tips removed and reserved
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup fiddlehead ferns, cleaned and trimmed
½ cup white wine
6-7 cups very hot broth, vegetable or chicken, keep hot throughout
Salt & pepper
Night Before:
1 cup farro,
3 cups water
Day of:
Soaked and drained farro
3- ¼ inch slices of pancetta (or thick bacon), diced
¼ cup minced ramp bulbs, leaves reserved, torn vertically
8- ½ inch wide stalks of asparagus, tips removed and reserved
3 tablespoons of butter
1 cup fiddlehead ferns, cleaned and trimmed
½ cup white wine
6-7 cups very hot broth, vegetable or chicken, keep hot throughout
Salt & pepper
- As above, soak 1 cup of farro in 3 cups of water overnight. Drain thoroughly. Set aside.
- Place the asparagus tips in a small prep bowl with a ¼ inch of water and microwave for 1 minute. Drain the tips adding the water to the broth. Set tips aside.
- Using a vegetable pare-er, shave each of the asparagus stalks on both sides. Reserve the shavings. Dice the remaining stalks and set aside.
- Cook the pancetta in large sauté pan, slowly, until close to crisp. Remove the pancetta from the pan with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined dish. Reserve the drippings in the pan.
- Melt the butter slowly into the pancetta drippings. Add the minced ramp bulbs and sauté gently until soft and transparent.
- Add the diced asparagus stalks and the fiddlehead ferns. Sauté the vegetables over a low heat for about 2 minutes. Using the slotted spoon, drain the vegetables and remove to a dish.
- Add the wine to the drippings and butter and blend.
- Add the farro to the pan and mix the grains well so that each is coated with the mixture.
- Add just enough very hot broth to cover the farro. Stir often until the liquid is almost absorbed.
- Continue to add a ladle or two of broth at a time and to stir it often until the grain is tender and the mixture is creamy in consistency. Taste and add the salt and pepper accordingly.
- Return the vegetables and the pancetta to the pan and blend with the farro gently.
- Place the farro into a generous serving dish.
- Add the torn ramp leaves, the asparagus shavings and tips around the dish and serve.
