After being away from home for a week on business, it was nice to come home and be able to make my own food.  Those of us who love to cook understand my statement.  Especially those of us who prefer food a bit removed from the common table.

After a week of restaurant food my gut was not happy. My ankles were swollen from the salt in the meals and from sitting too much in meetings and training.  The trip home, with waiting on flights and stuck in a seat for hours (I don’t fly 1st class….big surprise!), only made it worse.

Tonight I wanted to try something quick to prepare and delicious to boot.  I used some of our grilled chicken we keep on hand and paired it with simple grains, herbs, raisins and pistachios.  Start to finish was just over 30 minutes and got thumbs up from my whole family.

One of the most important parts of this dish is the onion saute.  It takes a full 15 minutes at minimum.  If you try to hurry through this you will never know how truly tasty this dish can be.  Start the farro first and follow it closely with the onions.  The rest of the dish is just as easy, and takes very little time.

I wish I would have made more tonight than I did….  I don’t have any leftovers and was really hoping to take this for lunch tomorrow.  I will list the ingredients in an increased amount.  So next time, when I refer to this recipe, I will have at least enough to cover one more serving.

You’ll need:

1 1/3 cups farro + 3-3 1/2 cups water/stock

1 large yellow onion, chopped

olive oil as needed

1 cup sweet peppers (optional), chopped

3/4 cup golden raisins

3/4 cup roasted pistachios

2 cups grilled chicken, chopped (we keep packages frozen for quick and easy use-see how here)

1 Tbs fresh rosemary, minced

salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 cup Manchego cheese, 1/2 inch cubes

2/3 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Good quality balsamic vinegar, for serving

In a medium sauce pan, combine the farro and the recommended amount of liquid.  Cook over medium low heat until almost all the liquid is absorbed.

While the farro is cooking….

Heat a large skillet over medium heat.  Add olive oil and onions.  Saute over medium to medium low heat for 15 minutes until onions are well softened, translucent and starting to turn golden (don’t shorten this part-its worth it!).  Add the sweet peppers during the last 5 minutes of the onion saute, if using.  Defrost the grilled chicken, add to the onions and stir well.  Add the raisins and pistachios. Sprinkle mixture with rosemary and stir all together.

When the farro is almost cooked, add it and remaining liquid to the chicken mixture.  Reduce the heat and allow everything to blend while the remaining liquid is reduced.  Taste, add salt and pepper if desired.  Add manchego and parsley.  Stir everything together.  Serve with a drizzle of good balsamic before serving.  Enjoy!