Serves 4
For many years while I was trying to make ends meet as a writer, I worked selling fruit for a seventh-generation Hudson Valley farmer at the Union Square Greenmarket in New York City. Working there, I made less money per hour than a slice of pie would have cost at the corner diner (this being New York City), but I had all the apples a girl could wish for. I made applesauce, apple crisps, apple cake, apple butter, apple slaw, apple soup. (Yes, apple soup. Did I mention I was cash broke and apple rich?) And I got creative with the apple cider in recipes like this hot cereal. It’s so sweet and delicious that you won’t even want to add sugar. I top it with a mix of yogurt and sour cream, which takes an otherwise dairy-free breakfast out of the dairy-free category, so if dairy-free is a priority, serve it with nut or grain milk, or warm cider instead.
2 apples
5 to 10 whole cloves, or a pinch of ground cloves (optional)
6 cups fresh apple cider or apple juice (the cloudier the juice, the better), plus more as needed
1 cinnamon stick, or ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon, plus more for sprinkling
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
1½ cups farro, rinsed
Yogurt Cream (recipe follows)
Peel the apples and cut each one into four slabs around the core, removing the core in one piece. If you’re using whole cloves, stud the cloves into one of the apple cores (throw out the other core). Thinly slice the apple slabs.
Put the apple cider, cinnamon stick, clove-studded apple core (or ground cinnamon and cloves), and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring the cider to a boil over high heat. Add the farro, reduce the heat slightly, and gently boil until the farro is tender, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the sliced apples and cook for 5 minutes so they soften but not so long that they turn into applesauce. Remove and discard the apple core and cinnamon stick, if you used them.
Spoon the farro into four bowls, dollop the cream on top, on each bowl, arrange the apples on top, sprinkle with cinnamon, and serve.
Makes 2 cups
This isn’t really a recipe: It’s yogurt mixed with sour cream and, if you’re feeling sweet, a spoonful of sugar. It’s a clear example of the sum being greater than the parts. Dollop this wonderful concoction on sweet breakfast or dessert.
1 cup plain yogurt
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon sugar (or whatever sweetener you like; optional)
Stir all the ingredients together in a small bowl. The cream will last for 1 week, refrigerated.
G-Free Alternative: To make this recipe gluten-free, make it with whole oat groats instead of farro.