Farro - Costco

[Tom Simonson]

Costco is currently selling Farro in 3lb bags for $7.50, which seems a good deal. It's usually more expensive than other grains.

[rubadubgdub]

Is farro much different than wheatberries? I ask bc Massa Organics (at Berkeley/SF FM) offers their organic wheatberries for $2/lb, which is less than the prices discussed here.

[Robert Lauriston]

Generally similar but I find farro's flavor more interesting. Also, it cooks much faster.

http://www.nytimes.com/1997/06/11/gar...

[Robert Lauriston]

Anybody seen this lately? Richmond did not have it today.

[bobabear]

I bought some about a month ago at South SF (airport) Costco!

[rabaja]

I just saw this today at the Novato Cost Co. Yet another thing to buy there and split with my sister. I think it was eight bucks?
eta: priced as listed above. Will get this next time.

[souvenir]

Brand? Perlato or ? Thanks!

[Zeldog]

Farro perlato, Di Amante brand, product of Italy. It has a USDA organic seal if that means anything. The SF store has it. I haven't done a taste test, but I have some leftover farro I bought at Rainbow (I forget the brand, but it's the same one Lucca's carries) and they look identical.

[souvenir]

Great. Thanks for the detail!

[Robert Lauriston]

"Perlato" means some of the outer bran has been removed.

[souvenir]

Yes. I mistakenly bought a package of whole grain farro that I have yet to time prep properly to use, so I was hoping that this Costco offering is pelato or semi-perlato, and according to Zeldog it is, yay. I've been using the semi-perlato Bartolini brand which goes for ~$5-6.50/lb, so if the Di Amante is good, it is a great price.

[wolfe]

It's very good. Prep is easy. I just lightly salt 3 cups water to 1 cup farro, bring to boil and cover, turn heat off. After I while I taste the partially done crunchy stuff. boiling again and covering usually finishes it. Steam or nuke at dinner time to warm. Tasting continues throughout the cooking.

[souvenir]

Hmmm, thanks. I've been making farrotto (risotto style cooking) dishes, rather than boiling or steaming so far.

But I recently saw this, http://www.ansonmills.com/recipes-pic..., where the suggestion is to pulse it in a food processor to crack the bran layer first, and then go on to toast the farro. I've just been more confident with the perlato version, knowing how it is going to behave.

[kc72]

Which Costco did you see it at? Products may vary from warehouse to warehouse sometimes.

[lexdevil]

I saw it in Richmond.

[Robert Lauriston]

I got some at Mountain View. Quality is very high. It's prewashed, so you can just cook it straight out of the package.

[Gustavo Glenmorangie]

Interesting. Because Costco's Italian pasta quality is exceptionally low.

[Robert Lauriston]

Indeed, but farro's just a whole grain.

I was confusing the farro with the quinoa. Farro doesn't need washing. Both are really good. As is the Lundburg brown rice.

[VanessaItalyinSF]

I am surprised to read this, I love the Garofalo brand pasta, from Gragnano (Italy), same packaging and quality of the high-prized pasta you find in Italy- best pasta around.