Have you heard of broccoli rubble?

Mary stopped by the other day and asked me if I had heard of broccoli rubble.

I was imagining some kind of pop-rocks, air-dried healthy vegetable snack that would come in a bag. 

Instead, it is a healthy warm farro salad created by Deb Perelman of popular food blog, The Smitten Kitchen. 

She said that her adult daughter, Maddie, who likes to cook, made if for them over the holidays and that is was sooooo good.

So, I looked it up and thought I would share it, and hope to make it myself soon.  

Farro is a delicious, ancient grain, if you haven't tried it.  It is a whole grain like quinoa.  Has a nice chew.  Nutty flavor.  But it is a wheat grain, so unfortunately, it is not gluten free.  

So what exactly makes it rubble?  The way that the broccoli is chopped into bits, i.e., rubble.  Here is a link to the full story and recipe.

When I checked in with Mary again, she had made it herself and I asked if it was easy ---"Yes, lots of chopping of broccoli----farro takes 35 minutes to cook.  But I would say yes.  It's a winner with the Pecorino Romano cheese in it too!" 

---Barbara

Broccoli Rubble Farro Salad (Smitten Kitchen)
(From Deb Perelman The Smitten Kitchen)

Serves 4 generously

• Salt
• 1 cup semi-pearled farro
• 1 pound broccolini or regular broccoli 
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• Finely grated zest, then juice, of 1 lemon 
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 4 ounces pecorino romano, grated or ground in a food processor

Bring a medium/large pot of salted water to boil. Once boiling, add broccoli and boil for 2 to 2 1/2 minutes, until slightly softened but still crisp overall. Scoop out with slotted spoon or tongs, then drain.

Add farro back to same pot (I’m totally okay with some errant leftover broccoli flecks and vitamins here, if you’re not, use another pot of salted water) and cook, simmering, for 25 to 30 minutes, until tender. (Since there are so many varieties of farro, however, if your package suggests otherwise, it’s best to defer to its cooking suggestion.) Drain and tip into a large mixing bowl; cool to lukewarm.

Pat drained broccoli dry on towels, trying to remove as much excess moisture as possible. Chop into small (roughly 1/2-inch) bits. In a large sauté pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat until hot. Add garlic and pepper flakes, to taste, and cook for 1 minute, until garlic is faintly golden. Add chopped broccoli, lemon zest, and salt (I use a full teaspoon kosher salt here, but adjust the amount to your taste) and cook, stirring, for 3 to 4 more minutes, until broccoli is well-seasoned and slightly more tender.

Add broccoli and every bit of garlic and oil from the pan to the bowl of farro and stir to combine. Add lemon juice, black pepper and more salt to taste (but 1/2 teaspoon of each is what we used) and stir to combine. Stir in cheese.

Serve warm or at room temperature as-in, with an egg on top, burrata, and/or seasoned breadcrumbs.

A Deb Perelman recipe from The Smitten Kitchen