Last week’s farro with fried egg was truly wonderful, but a bit heavy on the prep. Tonight I was feeling eggs and farro again, and came up with something much easier to make, and just as delicious in a totally different way.
Warning: the recipe below is very casual, if you need precise measurements you might not like it. That said, I think it would pretty hard to screw this one up.
• Farro with Eggplant, Parsley, Parmesan, and a Fried Egg •
1 eggplant
olive oil
1 cup dry farro
salt & pepper
fresh, flat leaf parsley, chopped
freshly grated parmesan cheese
as many eggs as you have people (up to 4)
Heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a large baking tray or two with parchment, coat with olive oil (you can use a pastry brush to spread it around) and sprinkle with salt. Slice eggplant crosswise into circles that are about 3/8 to 1/2 inch thick. Place eggplant slices on oiled parchment, sprinkle tops with salt and then flip over so the oiled side is up. Bake until eggplant is soft and golden, flipping halfway through. Remove from oven and let cool slightly.
Meanwhile, put farro in a saucepan and cover with water, add a bit of salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and simmer covered, until al dente, about 20-40 minutes depending on the farro and your desired tenderness. When done, drain, place in a medium sized bowl, and toss with a good amount of olive oil.
Chop cooked eggplant into bite-sized pieces. Add eggplant, chopped parsley and a handful of grated parmesan to farro and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.
Heat some olive oil in a skillet large enough to accommodate as many eggs as you will be using. Add the eggs to the skillet carefully, they will sputter and cook until done.
While the eggs are cooking put a pile of the farro and eggplant onto each plate and top with a bit more parmesan. Top each farro pile with a fried egg. Serve with salad.
