Farro with Broccoli, Walnuts & Golden Raisins

I have been on a mad reading streak lately. Maybe it is because of the grey and rain and cold. Or perhaps it is the planes and the endless airport delays. Whatever the reason, I read like I am hungry, never getting enough. I finish a book, put it down, and pick up another. Each completed read brings a bizarre sense of accomplishment to this first quiet month of the new year.

Non- fiction is my favorite, and books about food and with recipes are particularly loved. There's just something about knowing what others eat to stay alive that makes life seem a little easier.

This recipe is a riff on one in I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti bu Guilia Mclucci. She made it with penne; I went for the slightly more virtuous farro. The nuttiness of the grain played well with the salty cheese and browned walnuts. I purposefully under cooked the broccoli so there was a healthy snap to pair with the sweet burst of the raisins, and the crackle of red pepper flakes and garlic meeting on the tongue.

It made for several nourishing meals, meals eaten perhaps too quickly. A fork in my right hand and my left fingers firmly pressing open the spine of a book; pages turning madly.

1 pound broccoli
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, chopped
pinch of hot red pepper flakes
1/2 cup raisins
salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup farro
fresh parmesan

Wash broccoli and cut into florets. In a skillet large enough to old both cooked farro and broccoli, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and red pepper
When garlic is golden add broccoli, raisins, and salt. Saute for 15 to 20 minutes, adding some water if mix gets too dry. Meanwhile, toast walnuts in a small skillet for 5 to 6 minutes over medium heat.
Cook farro according to directions. Add cooked farrow to skillet with broccoli then add a splash of olive oil and walnuts.
To with large shreds of parmesan cheese.