Spelt

Spelt (Triticum spelta syn. T. aestivum spelta), Farro to Italians and Dinkle to Germans, is one of the oldest grains. Actually, there are some slight differences (Farro must be soaked, whereas spelt can be boiled straight off), but we will ignore these for the sake of simplicity. Spelt can be traced back to the Bronze Age, from the area of the Fertile Crescent and the birthplace of western civilization.

Spelt is rich in vitamins and is a strong anti oxidant. It contains phosphorus, sodium, calcium and magnesium. It has a low amino acid content, but contains protein, polyunsaturated fats, iron and mineral salts.

Sown in autumn and cropped in summer in an area ranging between 300 and 1000m altitude, spelt does not require rich soils and is grown without fertilizers and herbicides.

We source our spelt from Garfangnana in the province of Lucca, Italy. The Spelt of Garfangnana has an IGP certification, an Italian certification ensuring it is from the area and conforms to traditional standards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spelt

http://www.italianmade.com/foods/subcat26003.cfm

Consorzio Produttori Farro della Garfagnana

Via La Torre Pio

55035 Castelnuovo Garfagnana (LU)

ITALY

phone: (+39) 0583/65189

Cooking with Spelt

Spelt comes as a husk or milled. If required, you can put it in a coffee grinder and give it a spin to get it to the preferred consistency.

You can add spelt to most dishes as a substitute for barley or other grains to give you a hearty nutty flavour.

Here are the basics of our Farro Soup

The base (soffritto)

Onion, celery and a carrot cooked slowly at a low heat in a few tablespoons of olive oil until your onion becomes translucent and everything begins to sweat a little. Don’t brown it or you will need to throw it. While cooking the soffritto, add diced pancetta or guanciale or, if you don’t have either, use some smoked bacon.

Stock

Add plum tomatoes and continue slow cooking for a few minutes then add stock. Sometimes you can leave out the stock, especially if you have used guanciale, and just add water or half a stock cube.

When everything is mixed up nicely and on a slow bubble, add in the spelt and cook slowly with a sprig of thyme or rosemary, or a bit of both, and a couple of bay leaves. Season.

Stir often and check it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serving

Serve with pecorino cheese and a splash of cold olive oil.

Some people might like it with a bit of chilli oil, or Olio Santo (Holy Oil) as my dad calls it.

Spelt (Triticum spelta syn. T. aestivum spelta), Farro to Italians and Dinkle to Germans, is one of the oldest grains. Actually, there are some slight differences (Farro must be soaked, whereas spelt can be boiled straight off), but we will ignore these for the sake of simplicity. Spelt can be traced back to the Bronze Age, from the area of the Fertile Crescent and the birthplace of western civilization.

Spelt is rich in vitamins and is a strong anti oxidant. It contains phosphorus, sodium, calcium and magnesium. It has a low amino acid content, but contains protein, polyunsaturated fats, iron and mineral salts.

Sown in autumn and cropped in summer in an area ranging between 300 and 1000m altitude, spelt does not require rich soils and is grown without fertilizers and herbicides.

We source our spelt from Garfangnana in the province of Lucca, Italy. The Spelt of Garfangnana has an IGP certification, an Italian certification ensuring it is from the area and conforms to traditional standards.

Cooking with spelt

Spelt comes as a husk or milled. If required, you can put it in a coffee grinder and give it a spin to get it to the preferred consistency.

You can add spelt to most dishes as a substitute for barley or other grains to give you a hearty nutty flavour.

The basics of our farro soup

the base:
Onion, celery and a carrot cooked slowly at a low heat in a few tablespoons of olive oil until your onion becomes translucent and everything begins to sweat a little. Don’t brown it or you will need to throw it. While cooking the soffritto, add diced pancetta or guanciale or, if you don’t have either, use some smoked bacon.

stock:
Add plum tomatoes and continue slow cooking for a few minutes then add stock. Sometimes you can leave out the stock, especially if you have used guanciale, and just add water or half a stock cube.
When everything is mixed up nicely and on a slow bubble, add in the spelt and cook slowly with a sprig of thyme or rosemary, or a bit of both, and a couple of bay leaves. Season.
Stir often and check it is not sticking to the bottom of the pot.

Serve with pecorino cheese and a splash of cold olive oil.
Some people might like it with a bit of chilli oil, or Olio Santo (Holy Oil) as my dad calls it.