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Since I’ve been trying to blog on a more regular basis, I’ve loosely assigned topics to each day, such as “Pretty Things” Tuesday, to give me a bit of structure. I thought I’d devote Wednesday’s posts to my baking fiascos adventures. However, last night I made this butternut squash dish from the 101 Cookbooks archives and I just have to share it with you today. And I insist that you make it for dinner tonight. Or at least sometime this week. My wacky pumpkin chocolate chip cookie recipe will have to wait until tomorrow.

I’ve made this dish before, but with barley since I couldn’t find farro*. It was good with the barley, but yesterday I found semi-pearled farro in my natural foods store and, wow, it was great. The texture is chewy and hearty. I could easily imagine it being just as tasty as a lightly sweetened breakfast cereal: the texture would hold up mixed in some plain yogurt with honey and berries. Or with a splash of almond milk, a bit of maple syrup, and some raisins and sunflower seeds. What I’m saying is that it’s a versatile grain.

I love the velvety, caramely flavor that the splash of balsamic vinegar gives to the squash and onions while they’re roasting.

And don’t even get me started on the toasted walnuts. SO GOOD. They cannot be left out. As Heidi mentions in her post, she wanted this recipe to be all about the walnuts.

And the goat cheese? Please. It goes without saying that it’s the perfect addition. 

 The flavors and textures in this dish cavort and mingle and end up being perfection in a bowl.

Farro and Roasted Butternut Squash

From Heidi at 101 Cookbooks

If you are pressed for time, opt for a lightly or semi-pearled farro (actually easier to find in some places), which will cut the cooking time for the grains down to about 20 minutes. Barley, both hulled and pearled, would make a nice substitution if you are having trouble finding farro. Also, I found the beautiful red spring onions at the farmers’ market but regular red onions will work well, and will be much easier to find.

2 cups farro, rinsed and drained

2 teaspoons fine-grain sea salt

5 cups water (or stock)

3 cups butternut squash, cut into 1/2-inch dice (try putting the whole squash in the oven while it’s preheating (about 10 minutes). The squash will soften a bit and make it easier to cut – pwa)

1 large red onion cut into 1/8ths

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 cup walnuts, deeply toasted

3 tablespoons toasted walnut oil (or more olive oil)

1/4 cup goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

Preheat oven to 375.

Combine the farro, salt, and water in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Cover and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the farro is tender, 45 minutes to an hour, or about half the time if you are using semi-pearled farro. Taste often as it is cooking, you want it to be toothsome and retain structure. (I brought my pot to a boil, reduced heat to simmer, covered, and the farro was a nice texture after about 15 minutes – pwa) Remove from heat, drain any excess water, and set aside.

While the farro is cooking toss the squash, onion, and thyme with the olive oil, balsamic vinegar and a couple big pinches of salt on a rimmed baking sheet. Arrange in a single layer and place in the oven for about 20 minutes. (I let mine roast for nearly an hour – pwa) Toss the squash and onion every 5-7 minutes to get browning on multiple sides. Remove from the oven, let cool a bit, and mince just 1/2 of the red onions.

In a large bowl gently toss everything (except the goat cheese) with the toasted walnut oil (or olive oil). Taste and add a bit of salt if necessary. Serve family-style in a simple bowl or on a platter garnished with the goat cheese.

Serves 6-8 as a side, less as a main.

 *If your grocery store has Ethnic Food aisles, you may want to look in the Italian aisle for farro.