Farro with Roasted Mushroom, Fennel and Onion topped with an Egg

I love roasted vegetables and I am always on the lookout for different ways to serve them. I also love farro, a nice chewy whole grain. There are loads of recipes on the web that combine farro with mushrooms and onion, because it is a rather perfect pairing.  There was a nice fennel bulb in my fridge so I added that to the mix. It adds a sweet crunch. 

I wanted to roast the vegetables  to give a nice toasty flavor and firm texture with a bit of caramelization. For roasting, don't slice anything too thin and try to keep them consistent.

I use a quick cooking farro from Trader Joe’s. It cooks in 10 minutes. You could  substitute quick cooking barley or brown rice in this recipe,  just cook it according to package instructions.

 Farro with Roasted Mushroom, Fennel and Onion topped with an Egg 

On the Roasting sheet:

8 oz. white button or cremini mushrooms, cleaned and thickly sliced

1 medium fennel bulb, fronds removed. Sliced vertically

1/2 large sweet onion, sliced vertically

1 clove garlic

1/2 tsp crushed rosemary

½ tsp salt

½ tsp garlic powder

In the Sauce pan:

1 cup quick cooking farro,—(10 minute Farro from Trader Joe’s or other cooked according to package instructions

½ sweet onion chopped

1 TBSP olive oil

½ tsp crushed rosemary

½ tsp thyme

 ¼ tsp red pepper flake

2 cups broth or water

¼ cup chopped parsley, optional

2-4 eggs, one per person, optional but recommended

Preheat oven to 375F

Place a bit of olive oil on a rectangle baking sheet. On one half of the baking sheet, place the sliced mushrooms and on the other half put the fennel and ½ of the onion. Don't over crowd.  By the way, vertically slice by cutting onion and fennel bulb in half and then slice it. Sprinkle with spice and salt and a light drizzle of olive oil. Several times during roasting, use a spatula to turn it over and mix, moving outside pieces to center.

In a sauce pan, heat a TBSP olive oil and begin sautéing onion and garlic. Cook until onion begins to caramelize. Add spice and  farro. Let it saute for another minute.  Stir in broth and bring to boil over med high heat, covered. Boil for two minutes and lower heat and cover. 

Let it simmer for 10 minutes. If there is a lot of liquid left, drain a bit off. Remove from heat and let it sit for five minutes while covered.

Remove roasted veggies when they are beginning to get caramelized and edges are crisping a bit.

Cook up eggs by poaching or fry/baste. Season with salt and pepper. You can skip eggs but adds a nice taste and texture and it makes this a satisfying meal in a bowl!

Add roasted mushrooms, onions and fennel to farro. 

Place in bowls, sprinkle with parsley and top with an egg.