Meatless Monday: Toasted Farro with Zucchini and Tahini

Happy Monday, Divas!

I'm off to Chicago on Wednesday, but I thought I'd make sure to leave you with a fabulous meatless recipe I whipped up last week for dinner. Don't you get tired of eating the same old grains? Well, I've made a concerted effort to incorporate more farro (pearl barley) into my life. It has a rich, nut-like flavor and a chewy, pasta-like, satisfying texture. It's also chocked full of a special type of fiber that acts as food for the "friendly" bacteria in the large intestine and lowers cholesterol.

To make my farro more interesting, I toasted it before I cooked it, giving it an even richer, nuttier flavor. Then, I stirred in roasted zucchini, heirloom cherry tomatoes, shallots, and chopped mint. I finished it off with a delicious lemon-tahini sauce, giving the dish a slightly Mediterranean flare.

This was a satisfying, filling, healthy dish that worked as a main course for dinner. It's also a great side dish for any meal. So give it a try!

Toasted Farro with Zucchini and Tahini
Serves 4-6 people
Cooking time: 30 minutes
Print Recipe

Ingredients
1 cup farro (pearl barley)
1 1/2 cups filtered water
2 cups zucchini, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 shallot, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
salt and pepper

tahini sauce:
2 tablespoons sesame tahini
1 tablespoon lemon juice, freshly squeezed
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper

Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

Place the zucchini in a roasting pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper, tossing to combine. Roast uncovered in the oven for about 30 minutes, or until softened and slightly caramelized. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, place the farro in a dry saute pan and toast it over medium high heat until aromatic. Set aside to cool. Boil the filtered water in a pot with a tight-fitting lid. Stir in the farro, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes. If the liquid is gone and the farro still uncooked, add a little more water and cook a little longer. Barley should have a chewy texture with a slight crunch. Set aside.

To make the tahini sauce, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, and cumin in a bowl. Add water as needed to thin to a nice consistency. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To assemble the dish, place the farro, roasted zucchini, tomatoes, and shallots in a large mixing bowl. Top with the tahini sauce and toss to combine. Check seasoning (salt and pepper). Finish with the chopped mint. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
organic pearl barley (farro) and organic sesame tahini from Whole Foods

organic zucchini, heirloom cherry tomatoes, and organic shallots from the West Hollywood Farmers Market

Wine Pairing
With this meal, we drank a fabulous bottle of Copain Pinot Noir (Hacienda Secoea, Anderson Valley, 2006).  The 2006's appear to be drinking great right now, and this bottle was one of the better pinots I've tasted recently.

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Sherry-Shallot Vinaigrette

Here is my first post about my new Sous Vide Supreme.

Let me begin by saying that I've only used it six times so far (in two weeks), but already it's life changing. Sous-vide, French for "under vacuum," involves vacuum sealing food into plastic bags and cooking them at low temperatures for extended periods of time in a temperature controlled water bath. In concept, this method of cooking maintains the integrity of the ingredients due to the low temperatures.

A technique frequently used in fine dining settings (my Top Chef Brother does a ton of it, and is my chief culinary consultant in all things sous vide), it's only recently become affordable to the home chef thanks to the Sous Vide Supreme.

Lean meats (pork tenderloin, beef tenderloin) are the most clearly appropriate for sous vide cooking. Not only does it render them exceptionally tender and keep them moist, but it brings them to a perfect medium rare throughout. With sous vide, there is no risk of overcooking.

Cooking sous vide depends on two things—temperature and time.  To assist in learning this technique, I relied on blog posts, the cookbook "Sous Vide for the Home Cook," the temperature charts that came with the Sous Vide Supreme, and my Top Chef Brother's advice. The ubiquitous tomb, "Under Pressure" by Thomas Keller, is on its way (though I've heard it was written for professionals, but we'll see). More on this once I receive the book.

For my very first sous vide experiment, I decided to cook pork tenderloin and settled on a decadent technique. I decided to cook the pork with rendered bacon fat. Yup, you heard me right. I served the pork tenderloin over a bed of pearl barley and topped with a sherry-shallot vinaigrette, wanting to taste the meat. I was not disappointed! The pork was by far the best and most tender I've ever made. It literally dissolved in my mouth in a pool of bacon-flavored meat. This recipe was a winner.

Next week, following my Top Chef Brother's advice—I'll be trying another preparation of pork tenderloin that involves an apple cider brine, a sear, and then sous vide cooking the meat with bacon slices for flavor. I can't wait!

Sous Vide Pork Tenderloin with Sherry-Shallot Vinaigrette

Prep time: 15 minutes; Cooking time: 2 hours
Serves 4 people
Gluten-free; dairy-free

Ingredients

1 pork tenderloin
1 teaspoon dried garlic, ground
2 tablespoons rendered bacon fat, refrigerated or frozen until solid
salt and pepper
2 tablespoons grapeseed oil

sherry-shallot vinaigrette
1 teaspoon sherry vinegar
2 tablespoon good extra virgin olive oil
1 shallot, peeled and diced
salt and pepper

Directions

1. Preheat the Sous Vide Supreme to 135 to 140 degrees (depending on how well you want it cooked).

2. Meanwhile, rub the pork tenderloin with the garlic and season with salt and pepper. Place in a plastic bag with the rendered bacon fat. Vacuum seal the bag. Place in the Sous Vide Supreme and cook for at least 2 hours (but you may cook it for longer).

3. To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil and vinegar and season to taste with salt and pepper.

4. Once the pork has finished cooking in the Sous Vide Supreme, remove from the water bath. Heat the grapeseed oil over medium high heat in a saute pan. Cut open the bag and remove the pork. Quickly sear it on all sides and set aside. Allow it to rest for five minutes before cutting the tenderloin into half inch slices.

5. To plate, layer slices of pork on a plate and drizzle with the sherry-shallot vinaigrette. Enjoy!

Source for Ingredients
organic pork tenderloin, organic ground garlic, sherry vinegar and organic pearl barley from Whole Foods

organic shallots and olive oil from the Hollywood Farmers Market