Farro Mac & Cheese

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
2 cups farro, rinsed
4 slices bacon
4 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
2 1/2 cups whole milk
1 pound sharp cheddar cheese, grated
Salt and pepper

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 400°. In a large saucepan of boiling, lightly salted water, cook the farro, undisturbed, until tender, 20 to 25 minutes; drain.

2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, fry the bacon over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; drain on paper towels. Crumble and reserve.

3. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth; cook until pale golden, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the milk and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Whisk in half of the cheese until smooth, about 3 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, combine the cooked farro, three-quarters of the bacon, the cheese sauce and 1/4 teaspoon each salt and pepper. Spread evenly in a greased 9-by- 13-inch baking dish; sprinkle the remaining cheese and bacon on top. Bake until the cheese is melted and golden, about 30 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Comments:
I know, another slightly cat-puke-looking dish, but I promise you it tastes better than it looks!

So, farro. Let me tell you, it was quite an effort to get this grain, and I'm really not even sure we ended up with the right stuff. According to Wikipedia, it's kind of debated as to what "farro" really is, so I suppose as long as we got kind of close it's not a huge deal. That said, this is what I found after stopping at two grocery stores and three bulk stores:



This dish takes a little longer than your average mac and cheese since the grain requires more pre-cooking than a pasta would. The grain itself doesn't have much of a taste and even after 20 minutes or boiling and another 30 in the oven it still has a crunch. The bacon permeates the entire dish giving it a smoky flavor. Overall, a wonderful combo.