A logical progression after making zucchini butter spaghetti a few times — provided you’re a person who likes zucchini, butter, and spaghetti, or what happens when the first two melt silkily against the third — is to ask yourself, what can I butter next? What vegetable wants to be cooked down until it’s tender, concentrated, and almost buttery and then fused with actual butter to make something better than both things? My friend Alissa and I debated this a couple months ago, cycling through carrots, peas, and tomatoes* before landing on corn. Except it was more like oh my god: CORN!
I don’t need to explain why corn and butter are so good together [see: butted popcorn and grilled ears of corn with pats of butter melting over them onto the plate that you roller the corn through to collect it back into the grooves], especially when salt is involved. The mixture is so lush and naturally rich and sweet, I wanted to use it with something grainy and hearty, for contrast. Enter: farro. If you like the sauciness and approachability of the one-pan farro with tomatoes, you are going to swoon here. We use corn two ways. Some is left whole and cooked with the farro yet somehow stays lightly crunchy and sweet while the farro softens. The rest is blended with butter to make a creamy sauce you stir in at the end, giving the farro a risotto-like decadence (but not heaviness). I finish it with some chives and parmesan, but honestly you could skip the parmesan, it’s plenty amazing without it.
Listen, I know this bowl may look semi-beige, lumpy, and questionable but trust me that every single person [well, every other person] who has tried this has scraped the plate clean. It’s that kinda good and as I’m feeling phenomenally lazy this summer, trust that I would not crank up ye olde blog apparatus nor encourage us to turn on our stoves for anything less.
* Hold that thought as there’s a roasted tomato butter in Smitten Kitchen Keepers, which will be out in a mere 96 days!
Previously
6 months ago: Crispy Cabbage and Cauliflower Salad
1 year ago: Baked Farro with Summer Vegetables
2 years ago: Mathilde’s Tomato Tart
3 years ago: Black Pepper Tofu and Eggplant
4 years ago: Foccacia Sandwiches for a Crowd
5 years ago: Blackberry-Blueberry Crumb Pie
6 years ago: Summer Squash Pizza, Peach Melba Popsicles, and Chile-Lime Melon Salad
7 years ago: Raspberry Crushed Ice
8 years ago: Cold Noodles with Miso, Lime, and Ginger and Apricot Pistachio Squares
9 years ago: Charred Corn Crepes, Burst Tomato Galette with Corn and Zucchini and Strawberry, Lime, and Black Pepper Popsicles
10 years ago: Pink Lemonade Bars and Charred Pepper Steak Sauce
11 years ago: Sugar Plum Crepes with Ricotta and Honey
12 years ago: Everyday Chocolate Cake and Zucchini and Almond Pasta Salad
13 years ago: Asparagus with Chorizo and Croutons and Sour Cherry Slab Pie
14 years ago: Cantaloupe Salsa and Plum Kuchen and Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad
15 years ago: Summer Pea and Roasted Red Pepper Pasta Salad
16 years ago: Huevos Racheros, Blueberry Crumb Bars, Napa Cabbage Salad with Buttermilk Dressing, and Quick Zucchini Sauté
Corn Butter Farro
- 3 to 4 tablespoons (45 to 60 grams) unsalted butter, divided
- 1 tablespoon (15 grams) olive oil
- 3 cups fresh corn kernels (from 3 to 4 cobs)
- Kosher salt
- 3 cups (710 grams) water
- 1 cup (205 grams) semi-pearled farro
- 1 medium onion, halved and thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- Freshly ground black pepper
- Red pepper flakes, to taste
- 2 tablespoons (20 grams) minced scallions or fresh chives for garnish
- Grated parmesan cheese, for serving (optional)
[If you’re getting a lead on dinner, this is a great time to pause the recipe. Just let it sit with the lid on for an hour or two, until needed. Rewarm before continuing.]
Add remaining 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter — the correct amount is whatever is in your heart that day; both levels work — to the food processor and blend with the corn until absolutely smooth. Taste and add more salt (I usually add another 1/2 teaspoon here), blending to mix it.
When the farro is tender, taste the mixture for seasoning, adjusting as needed with more salt, black pepper, or red pepper flakes. If you have a lot of leftover cooking liquid, use a slotted spoon to hold back the grains and pour or ladle some off. With the pan off the heat, stir in the blended corn butter. Transfer to a serving bowl and finish with scallions or chives and parmesan, if you wish.
This sounds amazing. Heading out to buy fresh corn now!
Mmm have you tried Hetty Mckinnons corn miso pasta? It’s lovely and this speaks to me in the same way.
Hmmm, that sounds amazing. I can’t seem to find a recipe online. Do you have a link you might share? Thank you.
Here you go!
https://www.abc.net.au/everyday/one-pot-miso-corn-pasta-recipe/100999086
This is soooo good, I cried!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
I made this tonight and loved it so much I’m thinking of making it for girl’s night at the pool tomorrow. So I’m brainstorming how to keep warm and it occurs to me that I could cook the Farro in the Instant Pot, keep it warm and then add the corn butter when we’re ready to eat. Thoughts? Would you leave the corn in with the Farro or pull and return with the corn butter?
This looks decadent.
As a member of the sensitive stomach club, can you speak to… after effects of the puréed corn? Regular corn, even deliciously bbq’d corn leads to a lot of discomfort. Sadly, so too did the zucchini spaghetti. Thank goodness for buttered noodles? 🫠
Hurray for only 96 days! Can’t wait to see all of your hard work!
What’s a good swap for the farro to make this gluten free?
You had me at corn butter.
Risotto rice?
Maybe oat groats? They’re very versatile!
You might use a short-grain brown rice.
What about quinoa? Or possibly kasha? Rice isn’t feeling right to me here but I have a corn-loving celiac husband who would enjoy this.
I made it with a brown jasmine rice that I had in the pantry, and it was lovely. I didn’t have chives, but ate with a perfect summer tomato and some fresh basil. Divine! Leftovers were great, too.
How do you think this would work with frozen corn? My parents grow spectacular corn but we weren’t able to get here in time to use the corn fresh. It this recipe sounds delightful and worthy of a bag of their frozen corn.
Despite not being Deb, I sort of think it would be fine. Corn thaws quickly and easily, and the quality of your parents’ homegrown corn will be a cut above the grocery store stuff.
Love your response and I agree!
Hurrah! I suspect I am too lazy to use fresh corn, and LOVE the Zucchini Butter Spaghetti so am looking forward to trying this!
Scraping the cobs with the back of a spoon (after cutting off the kernels) results in extra pulp. I adding the extra pulp in the blended corn so as not to lose it when draining the farro.
That sound brilliant and I’m absolutely giving it a go when I make this!
Thanks!
I’ll bet barley would work too. Nest try both!
If I did use barley, would I use the same amount? Thanks!
Haven’t tried either yet think it would be wonderful in equal amounts!
Yes. It cooks up a little softer. Check the cooking time on the package, but it’s probably similar.
I always use barley instead of farro (it’s hard to find here). But make sure you use pearl barley, rather than pot barley-it takes less time. So now corn’s going on my shopping list, along with a bunch of zucchini for ratatouille and a great-sounding Julia Child recipe I saw earlier this week (pardon Deb). Check this out guys https://food52.com/recipes/18672-julia-child-s-tian-de-courgettes-au-riz-zucchini-tian
Donna, Deb actually has that recipe on Smitten, with streamlined instructions. https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/09/zucchini-rice-cheese-gratin/
Barley would be delicious, alas it is not gluten-free
Roasted tomato butter?! I can’t wait!
Magic!!! I just happened to be looking for dinner inspiration for my CSA corn when you posted. This was INCREDIBLE. I used veggie broth but am not sure it mattered. I honestly think we’d prefer it without the parm.
I was literally licking the spoon from the corn butter. 10/10
Does this serve four as a main, or as a side? Thanks!
I was thinking main but you can also have it with grilled sausages, as we did this week, or with an egg on top.
What would you think of replacing some or all of the water with chicken stock? My thinking being it could umph up some flavor and add some of that chicken-soup variety goodness to someone under the weather.
Yes, I mention that you can in the headnotes. But it isn’t necessary to have a flavorful dish.
So delicious! Will be making this again. I made with risotto rice this time as that was all I had in the cupboard but will try with farro next time. Thanks for the recipe.
I made this with barley because all I had was instant farro and it was fantastic. I used corn stock instead of water (quit throwing away your corn cobs!) and removed all the corn from the pan at the beginning so the non-puréed corn would still have some pop at the end. I can’t believe how delicious this was with so few ingredients. Really, stupidly good.
Could this make for a good brunch side?
Just made something a little similar last night from Cook This Book…a combo of farro and fresh corn that has been kind of charred in a cast iron pan. Your recipe sounds delish too.
Could this be made nondairy? If so how? Ty!
Not Deb, but I am vegan, and would just use vegan butter and skip the parmesan. Or, if you happen to have some non dairy parmesan laying around, use that!
Firstly, OMG, I cannot wait to make this, I have every ingredient on hand as we speak!
Secondly, how DARE you tease us with roasted tomato butter when I have a glut of tomatoes right now that I will not have in 96 days when the cook book is delivered to my doorstep! I suppose I shall survive, albeit begrudgingly.
Thank you for your delicious and low effort recipes, they have been a godsend.
If your tomatoes happen to be of a smaller variety, Deb’s oven roasted tomatoes recipe has been one of my favorite way to enhance and extend their shelf life! Can set up some extra jars as gifts too!
https://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/slow-roasted-tomatoes/
Somehow I’m picturing this as a filling for a stuffed tomato. Any idea if that could work?
I’m sure it would be delicious. Here is a Rice-Stuffed Tomato recipe you might use as a jumping off point.
This is heaven in a bowl. Seriously, stupidly rich & delicious without the longer cooking time of risotto. I used semi-pearled farro from Whole Foods that cooks in 10 mins and evidently will keep in the pantry for, ummm…. a few years (didn’t see the best by date until I’d already added it to the pan, oops). Cooked the farro in chicken stock (2.5 c) and did not need to strain any liquid off at the end though I did let it sit for 5 mins after cooking to absorb what liquid there was. I used 3ish Tbsp of butter for the corn butter and I found the seasoning recommendations on point throughout the recipe. Topped with fresh chives, basil, and slivered parm. Use the freshest, sweetest corn you can get your hands on and you won’t be disappointed with this dish. I could also see myself eating this for breakfast with a fried egg on top. Delightful!
Made this exactly as written, except I forgot the parm because I couldn’t wait to eat it. So, so good! You’re right, Deb, I didn’t miss the parm.
I was tempted to add some heavy cream to the cooking water. Don’t do it, it’s perfect as written. That said, I couldn’t help but speculate on what I might do differently. I’m not a huge fan of chives or scallions (used scallions because that’s what I had on hand); I thought some diced jalapeño, bell pepper, or chopped tomatoes might add a similar acidic pop. And I have to believe some crumbled, crispy bacon wouldn’t be awful. But there is not one single thing wrong with this dish exactly as it’s shown here.
I don’t like chives so I garnished with cilantro. It was fantastic. I also think a little diced jalapeno would be delicious.
The Chives at the store looked sad so I used some fried shallots bc kenji lopez alt told me they should always be in my cupboard. That was perfect along with parm & some Basil.
Hi!!! I love your recipes.. dying to try this but I’m gluten free. Can you suggest a substitute?
Thanks!!
Quinoa or brown rice could work.
But what if, and I hope I’m not alone on this crazy train, what if you made it with polenta?
I was thinking this too, or even masa, which I always think tastes even cornier than polenta…
I’m with you. I very much prefer my popcorn with butts. 8-)
LMAO. Some typos are too perfect to fix. It’s staying.
I made this following the directions exactly and it was delicious! I will definitely make it again and hope that I can make it year round with frozen corn once summer corn is gone.
Omg, dying of deliciousness. This is sublime. I don’t know what I would do without you Ms. Smitten!
I saw this and had to make it. Man, it was good! The onion kind of melted into the mixture, the corn butter was sweet and creamy. I fed it to my vegetable averse kids and they enjoyed it, too. I will definitely be making this again.
Deb, I cherish you and your readers! This was so, so delicious. Tasting the corn butter, I almost gave in to a strong desire to just devour that all by itself. But I’m glad I held out for the complete dish. Inspired by other comments, I used corn stock (simmer the cobs in water with a pinch of salt and pepper for 30 minutes) and garnished with bacon. Totally forgot about parm; didn’t miss it. A definite keeper–thank you!
Bacon! Genius!
Maybe my next party will use this deliciousness as a jumping off point for a riff on a baked potato bar. Big pot of Deb’s Corn Butter Farro + toppings and mix-ins galore: chives, chopped tomats, grilled or caramelized onions, bell peppers, pickled jalapeños, mushrooms, pan-deared broccoli (ok…not so seasonal but I do love broccoli), bacon crumbles, cheese…what am I missing besides beer and tequila? Thanks for the foundation and inspiration, Deb!
Absolutely delicious!! The first bite transported me back to summer days in my grandmother’s kitchen eating cream style corn. This is definitely more wholesome and flavorful, and worthy of being the main dish on your dinner table.
My 12-inch Lodge skillet was just large enough to cook this as written. I used 1 cup of barley and 3 cups of chicken broth. The 30-minute cook time was spot on and the whole corn kernels still had a nice crispness to them at the end. I used shallot instead of onion and basil instead of chives because I had those on hand, but I’m not sure that it changed much because the corn butter is really the star of the show. Seriously – you will be scraping the sides of your blender for every last drop – it’s that good!
I cannot wait to make this again. Thanks for another fantastic recipe!
I have so many favorites from this site, but wow, this blew me away. This would be excellent side dish for something savory (I made some extra to have with pork chops tomorrow), but is also great on its own – I had it with chicken sausage and my husband had some for breakfast with an egg on top.
Inspired by another reader who added bacon at the end, I used some bacon fat I had on hand, instead of the olive oil in step one. Yum!!
Now I need to figure out how I can incorporate corn butter into everything I ever make from now on.
How do I stop comment notifications?
What a great recipe! I made this with frozen corn and Arborio rice since I didn’t have farro. Kids loved it and we had leftovers.
I was lazy and used an immersion blender to make the puréed corn butter.
I thought the flavor was great just using water.
Delicious!
Great idea to use the immersion blender!
Immersion blender – thank you!!
Hadilly – I was wondering what I’ll do when corn isn’t in season anymore. So glad you felt like frozen was okay!
Really tasty! I definitely had a lot of leftover liquid. I’d recommend following package instructions for the liquid. I just drained it and it was fine. Serving with sausages! Yum
Same- put it in a sieve to drain off the extra liquid. Still a “keeper”!
Yeah, I had a lot of liquid left too, and that was after I left it resting for 15 minutes. I just poured it off, but next time I’ll reduce the amount of liquid.
My husband’s critique: “The one thing I’d change for next time? Make more.”
A winner! The corn has been so sweet and delicious I was almost tempted not to mess with perfection. But I went out on a limb and made this dish and it is a keeper! Absolutely delicious! Thank you for creating this delightful dish!
Eating leftovers for lunch now…amazing, Deb! Incredibly satisfying for so few ingredients. My husband said this is in his top 10 favorites of dishes I’ve made over the years…and we’ve been married 25 years!
Made it exactly as directed. It tasted okay to me, but also very much like baby food, albeit with some bite. Even a heavy seasoning and extra red peppers could not counter that.
So so good! I swapped scallions for the onions and cojita for the parm, totally delish.
AMAZING! Another great summer farro dish! This recipe was incredibly easy and turned out beautiful. I think I may use less water next time around. I did drain some excess liquid as noted in the recipe, but found it was still a little soupy after adding the puréed corn to the dish. The taste was still amazing though! I’d love to add zucchini and maybe spinach next time around too! Definitely a keeper! 😊
On my goodness…this recipe sounded good…but tasted even better! Simple but amazing dinner. We loved this and I have shared the recipe with all my friends. Thank you!
I got my favorite white corn from my local farm this weekend and made this today. So good!
Thanks for another winner!
Oh my goodness, this looks amazing!!! I have been on such a corn kick this summer. I’m so excited to make it!
Just made this for dinner and it was delicious! Used 3 ears of corn and threw the cobs in with the water while cooking the farro. I added a chopped poblano pepper since we also had one of those. I also used salted butter because I use it for everything. Topped with grated asiago. So good!
Thanks for this comment! Because of you, when I cooked my Farro in the Instant Pot today I the the corn cobs in with the water to really get the corn flavor. I never would have thought to do that it I hadn’t seen your comment. Yesterday when I made it the first time I had more time so I boiled the cobs with the water before adding it to the farro.
Loved this! I added zucchini and pesto chicken (both grilled). I didn’t use parmesan, and added fresh chives and basil at the end, and found it was plenty rich even without the cheese. I only used 2.5 cups of water and thought that worked well.
This is soooo good and so easy. I threw in some shrimp and tomatoes at the end because I had them and needed to use them tonight. Made an easy one pot meal that is definitely going in the rotation.
Made it with shrimp also (thanks for the idea) and it was so delicious!
Hoping you’ve seen this–Corn Kid, who might love it more than you: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1VbZE6YhjKk
I have some corn to use, and the weather is just starting to feel like fall, so this is a perfect side for dinner tonight! Now what to have with it….
If you normally cook farro:water with a ratio of 1:2, no need to increase to 1:3 here. Maybe even use slightly less than 2c water!
The farro begins to soften just with the moisture from the onions and corn.
I poured off over a cup of liquid (read: flavor)—luckily I had the presence of mind to save it to use as a broth sometime.
I agree, I used 2 cups today and didn’t have to pour any liquid off. When I made it yesterday I had almost a whole cup too much🤷🏻♀️
I made this just as written and it was delicious. The corn flavor really comes through. It also tasted very rich and if I hadn’t made it myself I wouldn’t believe there was no cream or cheese inside (I skipped the parm). Had the leftovers with a fried egg and it was perfection!
I accidentally dumped half a jar of the crushed red pepper because the cap with holes wasn’t on. It still turned out good lol.
My farro mixture was still pretty wet even though the farro was tender already. So I poured out some of the (red) water. I wasn’t sure about it but once I mixed in the butter corn puree, it looked a lot better.
I think it tastes best freshly cooked because the farro texture is perfectly chewy against the crunchy corn kernels. Still decent as leftovers though and I’ve been eating it cold!
Wonderful recipe.
I always like to reduce onions and garlic to invisible.
Chopped them both in food processor.
Cooked the farro/corn mixture and uncovered the last 10 minutes so no water to worry about.
Finished with 1 part parmesan to 1 part farro (joking) but alot of cheese.
How do you spell Blissed Out!
I made this again tonight but was low on time and had to take it somewhere and hold it for awhile. I cut the corn off the cob, sauteed the farro, onion and garlic in the Instant Pot for a few minutes, added the water (only 2 cups because I poured off almost a whole cup when I made it the first time) and the corn cobs (for flavor since I didn’t want to put the corn kernels in) and cooked for 8 minutes on high pressure. In the meantime I sauteed the corn in a small saucepan, blended half with the butter and then put the rest of the whole kernels in with it. I took my unopened IP with the farro and the corn butter/kernels to the party. When it was time to eat I opened the pot, took out the corn cobs and stirred in the corn butter and a tiny bit of Parmesan. I think it was even better than the first time. The whole kernels were more crisp and fresh tasting. The got a little chewy when I cooked it on the stove according to the recipe. Everyone at GNO loved it, they practically licked the pot clean.
Thank you for sharing your IP directions!
Thanks for the IP directions! I made it this way and it was super easy and delicious. I used the amount of water recommended on my farro package (2 1/4 c) and it was the perfect amount.
Even thought this is “summer on a plate,” I keep thinking it would make a perfect Thanksgiving side dish. I am going to freeze some fresh corn, freeze the cobs separately, and hope for the best come November.
This sounds incredible and I am absolutely going to make this. And just wanted to offer up another fave for all the corn heads here: the smoked corn aoli from the Deep Run Roots (Vivian Howard) cookbook is phenomenal.
This dish was amazing. I had a poblano chile in the fridge and some leftover finely diced bell peppers, so I added those as well. All four of my kids liked it, which is great – just meant no leftovers for me which is a bummer!
Eating the leftovers now, and it’s delicious! I had Arborio Rice but no Farro, and it’s not something my local market carries. Highly recommend the Arborio-it turned out perfect!
Oh boy, just the thing to use up the 8 pack of corn I bought from Costco.
You could throw in a couple cobs into the water and make corn broth when cooking the farro for triple corn and a bit of extra sweetness.
Oh, Good Grief! This was so amazing. Corn butter? What a brilliant idea. It tasted like cream and sunshine. Thanks for an idea I’d never have had on my own. Now I wonder how delightful corn ice cream would be?
I make sweet corn ice cream at least once a year and it is more delightful than you could even imagine! Highly recommend if you see it on a menu or feel like making some yourself.
This was totally delicious! My two modifications were:
-folding in a bag’s worth of baby kale at the very end (wilts immediately, no tough stems to worry about, adds some heartiness, good way to sneak more greens into the diet)
-adding chopped basil instead of scallions
I wanted to love this. And I kind of did. But my corn was more the color of the farro and so it was a completely beige meal minus the color of the greens I topped on it. The texture was not diverse enough. Maybe if I didn’t try and have this as a main entree I would have been happier. It was good. And definitely tasty, and that little creamed corn concoction – I mean – that should just be a dip all its own, but it just was not what I had fully hoped for in texture difference and color.
I’m in the minority too – wasn’t wowed by this one. The corn butter was delicious and I will absolutely make it again to top on pancakes, biscuits, toast, etc. But once incorporated into the final dish I couldn’t recognize it any more, and the whole thing was rather…bland and one-note, despite following the recipe to a T. Ah well!
This is an instant favourite. I made it with millet because I couldn’t get farro and I think I might even prefer this to the parboiled variety of farro that is available around here. I didn’t even read that the recipe was tagged with “put an egg on it”, but also thought that a fried egg with a soft yolk on top would be a good addition. It was! You’re completely right – the dish doesn’t look like much, but the way the corn shines in it is spectacular.
My grocery store only has pearled farro. Can I use this instead? Will any modifications be needed?
I used pearled – also all I could find – and it worked great. I cooked it a bit longer than package directions and followed the water directions on the package the second time I made it because I had too much liquid the first time.
Sounds perfect – thanks so much Carrie!
Delicious! I didn’t make any changes, except to garnish with rosemary Asiago cheese.
This is absolutely outstanding! I swapped fresh basil instead of chives, and it was delicious. Thanks for making me look like a genius to our dinner guests!
I’m working my way through the farmers market inspirations – the zucchini butter pasta last week (delicious with fresh whole wheat fettuccini also from the farmers market), and just made this today to use up the corn I bought last week to make room for everything else I bought today. Delicious. I don’t think it needs the parm (I used it anyway, but if you’re avoiding cheese it’s great without it). Also appreciate the recommendation from a commenter to make the corn butter with the immersion blender, because needing to haul out the food processor can kill my motivation to cook.
(And next up is the mushroom pasta, since I compensated for showing great restraint on the tomatoes today by going a tad nuts on fancy mushrooms. Oh well.)
This was delicious. I made it with wild rice and cooked it for 50-55 minutes.
I followed another reviewer’s instructions for the instant pot (8 min high pressure) and added in the corn cobs plus an end of an old parmesan. After the faro was cooked, I then added the corn, corn butter, some white beans , chopped spinach and basil. I used the vitamix for the corn butter and it did not blend well at all – I think a food processor would be better (I had to add some water and olive oil to get it moving) It was tasty and I’d consider making it again.
I made this with barley and frozen corn. The directions for barley suggest 1 cup of barley to 1 1/2 cups water and cook at a simmer for 45 minutes, so that is what I did and it did take the whole 45 minutes for the barley to be tender enough. I used some parsley with the scallions and like the flavor from the parsley. I did not use any red pepper flakes (don’t like heat) or parmesan (although I bet that would be a nice addition). The main thing I dropped in to say is that the salt is really necessary and although I wondered if I had over salted (because I used salted butter), I still had to add another 1/2 t. at the end. So as Deb said, don’t forget to season with salt. It really makes a huge difference.
Made this tonight. So easy and delicious! I topped it with basil. I think next time I will grill some shrimp to go with it.
It’s CORN! I can’t imagine a more beautiful thing :,)
It has the juice!
When I tried it with butter everything changed…
IT’S CORN!
I can’t believe I had to scroll so far down to find this reference haha
Good heavens, this was fantastic and absolutely should be re-named “Summer on a Plate.” My family (including the 11 year old avowed zucchini hater) loves Zucchini Butter Pasta and this was 100% the next dish in the progression of vegetable butters.
This was so delicious! We served it with some brats and it was a fine summer meal. I did find it was too much water and had to drain some off at the end. I suspect this was because my package of farro is the quick-cooking variety. I’ll adjust appropriately next time (and trust me, there will be a next time!). Otherwise, this dish is simply perfection and OMG that corn butter. I would make that and eat it on it’s own honestly haha. Which leads me to my question: what other uses are there for corn butter? I need to find other ways of consuming this magical combination, Deb!
My thoughts have been leaning towards –
Dinner pancakes
On fresh biscuits
As a partial replacement for oil in an olive oil pastry crust
Scrambled eggs
I made this and it’s delicious! Do you think it would freeze well?
I’d think so, but I haven’t tried to freeze it. I’d definitely press all the air out; maybe use a bag.
Will be freezing some – I use a vacuum sealer. Makes all the difference!
This was fabulous! I halved the recipe as a test before making for company. I did not deviate at all from the recipe and it was delicious. I will say that the green (whether chives, green onion, or even parsley) is necessary because farro resembles oatmeal and is not the prettiest.
I buy my Farro in bulk. How do I tell if it is semi pearled? Does it matter?
Cook it like pasta – in water at least 3:1 ratio. Pearled will cook much faster – test at around 8 minutes. Semi-pearled could take about 20 minutes, more or less. When it’s the right “chewy” for you, drain and continue.
It does not matter; I’d just default to your usual cooking time. If it’s usually done in 30-45, it’s probably semi-pearled (which is also the most common).
So good. Made this tonight from fresh corn from a WI farm I did not have to drain the farro.
Add a tablespoon of sweet corn powder to this to take corn flavor up a notch!
Can this be made without a blender? Could I use a pastry cutter or just chop really fine?
Sure, maybe use a knife with a cutting board and mince it.
Delicious! I boiled the cobs in water and found this had plenty of flavor!
Oh dear Lord was this great. Stuff dreams are made of. Make it now while corn is in season. So…so…fabulous🫶
Deb, thank you.
Every surplus of veggies I harvest I think ‘what in the world am I going to do with this’. And here you are saving me and my countertops with another delicious recipe.
You had me at “corn butter”. I read the recipe, went to the market for corn, and made this tonight. It was delicious!
This might be the most spectacular, delicious recipe of yours I have ever cooked, Deb! And I have cooked a LOT of your recipes over the years! Followed the recipe to a tee, just used a smidge less water per some of the comments (2.5 cups), and my blender didn’t do a fantastic job on the corn butter (food processor the way to go here). It’s so good that I had to force myself to put the leftovers in a Tupperware or I would have finished the whole pan myself. I plan to make this 800 more times before corn season is over, and am already wondering if there are any winter veggies I can give the same farro butter treatment so I don’t have to wait until next summer to experience this scrumptiousness!!??
This sounds absolutely scrumptious from someone who usually can’t be bothered with doing anything yo corn beyond boiling. BUT I think when I make it I will pair it with Ottolenghi’s recipe for roasted cherry tomatoes (in SIMPLE). I think the sweet acidity of the tomatoes will be a great match up!
My partner didn’t think he’d like this (he’s unaccustomed to whole grains), but absolutely loved it!
Loved this recipe. I had extra water/broth at the end and drained it as suggested, but then reduced it and added it back in. It was delicious. Thanks.
I made this and reduced the excess liquid to then add back in. It was a good addition to an excellent recipe. Thanks.
So good!
Made as written except reduced liquid to 2 cups. Farro cooks at 2:1 liquid ratio. I would have had a lot of extra liquid if I had used 3 cups.
This is a life-saver, my CSA has been giving me corn for weeks and I was desperate for something new to use them in! This looks delicious!
Deb’s farro recipes here got me into farro and I’m farro 4 life. This is no exception. I love the blend between the kernels with the farro and the blended corn butter (which is soft enough that I used my immersion blender in the smoothie cup – smaller clean up for me). I love the chives and did not have parmesan but didn’t miss it. I’m really curious if a little picked shallot would be good with this too? If I hadn’t made it before I would have been tempted to try to add miso in some way because I love the miso-corn-butter combo, but also I wouldn’t mess with this as-is. I can’t wait to return to this with frozen corn in the winter.
Funny you mentioned pickled shallots; I served it with baby arugula topped with thinly sliced jalapeños and it was the perfect combo to cut through the buttery goodness of the corn.
Times are a little tough right now, and I’ve been looking for creative ways to make meals stretch a bit. Would this also work as a filling for the stuffed poblano peppers featured in the first book? The original recipe calls for corn risotto, but would this be an acceptable substitute?
Does anyone out there have any other SK favorites that have been “recycled” in new ways?
Made this tonight and it’s delicious! Used amount of water on package and put cobs in while farro was cooking per other comments. Really yummy. Thanks Deb!
I made this and spooned off approx one-quarter cup of liquid. We enjoyed two (of four) servings the first night. I know that farro gets plumper with time, so I simply re-added the spooned-off liquid to the leftover farro, and it was perfect on day two, too. I can now see that the “pause” would accomplish the same thing, but who wants to wait? Thank you!
for those who love corn, farro and extreme taste……this is your recipe. it’s so delicious.
This was seriously amazing. I made it exactly as described, I used Korean gochugaru. I served it alongside baby arugula topped with thinly sliced homemade pickled jalapeños. It was so good. My picky 14 year old licked his bowl.
This was delicious! I had the heat up a bit too high at the add onion/garlic/farro step and things started to scorch a bit, so I added a dash of white wine to clean it up – it was not to its detriment. This was a very nice side to some salmon last night. Thank you!
Amazing!!! So glad I decided to try this! Followed recipe as written, will be making again! Thanks!
I seasoned this at half the recommended and it is SO salty. I love the flavors but I would use a slighter hand with the salt.
I am currently devouring this. SO GOOD. Corn season is my favorite season, and you have the best recipes for it! Your corn fritters are an annual favorite, and I’m going to make your corn-bacon hash later this week.
Well my two-year-old loved this, so it’s a winner. Plus is was so easy to make (although I used frozen corn). Home with an infant and a toddler…. This is a perfect recipe for our family and I plan on adding it to our rotation. Thank you!
So amazing! It was the perfect Labor Day dinner side…..and then the family ate it like steel-cut oats the next morning.
Delicious! Didn’t have farro so I used couscous. I cooked the corn/onion mixture for 15 minutes, then added the couscous and let it simmer for another 5 together with some spinach to added a bit of color.
I’m always perplexed when a measurement is “to taste” without a base amount that was used in testing. Can you give me a starting point on how much red pepper flakes you used when making this?
The reason is that I find red pepper flakes range a lot. When a jar is fresh and good quality, 1/4 teaspoon can give a dish a nice kick. For an older or less spicy jar, you could go to a full teaspoon.
You could also use Aleppo red pepper. The mild one allows one to bring on the taste gradually. I just discovered it recently, and now use it in practically everything.
I made this as a part of a field meal for our harvest crew last night, and one of the hired men told me emphatically that “This changed my life”. So yeah, guess I’m adding this recipe to the rotation!
This recipe will bring you straight to heaven. My Lord.
I’m having trouble finding semi-pearled farro. Would pearled work? How would that change cooking times?
I used pearled. That’s all I could find locally. I just followed package directions for time and reduced the amount of water by 1/2 cup the second time before that’s about how much I poured off the first time.
Made this tonight and will make asap for friends. It’s so good! (I used TJs frozen roasted corn since I wanted to cut corners.)
Made last nite w corn that was less than optimale. Only change was no pepper, as I can’t eat it. It was DeeLish! But the lack of protein (I had thought it was a main dish) bothered me a tiny bit, so we shared 1/3 lb ground beef and each had a slider to go with. I would SO make this again! Every bit as yummy as I had hoped. Thanks (again!) for a Keeper.
YUM! I would not describe myself as a corn lover, but my children are, and I am always team Farro. thus I tried this recipe and YUM, consider it me shouting it from the rooftops. Easy, streamlined. I feel no guilt about using frozen corn.
Will definitely be making this again.
Can’t wait for the new book!!!
I made this a couple weeks ago, and it was so tasty. My fiance said, “can we make this again before corn season is over?” So we had it again last night. Even better!
This recipe was not going to happen in my life unless I used a hand blender for the corn and butter. It was not completely smooth but it tasted good.
Big fan of farro here, I seem to make a pot every week. It’s a delicious staple to throw in just about any meal! Will give this a try with fresh corn, love the idea.
This was good. I made it with brown rice and a little extra broth. Simmered for 55 minutes then let it sit to absorb the extra broth. I thought it needed plenty of Parmesan and toppings. We had it with avocado, meatballs, chopped cherry tomatoes, scallions, diced radishes, and steamed broccoli. It would be also good with sautéed poblanos.
Can I freeze this ?
We made this at the end of the summer – loved it! So good! Had a quick salad of halved cherry tomatoes with olive oil, flaky salt, and balsamic vinegar for a little acid on the side of this rich dish.
I made this using jasmine rice as that’s all I had. I also added a small red chili pepper and some spinach that I had from the csa. I LOVED this and can’t wait to make it again. What a great idea. I liked it with and without the parm.
Oh my gosh!! This recipe is so simple and sooooooo addicting!!!
I have made it several times and before our corn disappeared I made a batch to freeze!
I hope this will be as good! I put it in vacuum bags to sous vide when we are hungry for a taste of summer/fall!!
Omg. This is delicious. I made it last night for the second time in a week. I used 2 cans of corn (couldn’t find corn on cob) and crisped up some prosciutto to put on top. I had it again for breakfast this morning with a fried egg on top. I’m obsessed.
So I had cooked some Farro with no idea at the time what I would do with it – but I like to have some grain (brown rice, millet, quinoa) cooked and in the fridge at all times. Then I googled “farro recipes” and found the (new to me) Smitten Kitchen web site. The top 2 recipes including farro were this one – Corn Butter Farro – and One-Pan Farro with Tomatoes. As I read through the 2 recipes, I thought – I love corn and my favorite vegetable is tomato – so why couldn’t I combine these 2 recipes? The only changes I made were to use pre-cooked farro, and also I didn’t blend any of the corn – I left it all as kernels. I think the key to this being a fantastic recipe is the butter – it is so good. I’m thinking this basic recipe would be good with Mexican seasoning – so instead of the basil, I might try adding cilantro, Mexican oregano, maybe stir-fry a jalepeño in with the corn and tomatoes and queso fresco instead of the parm. Maybe even some chorizo sausage. My new favorite recipe!! Oh also, I used frozen organic corn – someone asked about this earlier – worked fine.
South Indian Restaurant in California
Tasty food
This is the first time I have heard about corn butter Farro. I will learn how to make this dish for my family
Quiet honestly this doesn’t look that good, but my god, it had huge success with my two little darlings and I would say that my kids aren’t the easiest to please.
Thanks Deb
This was hands down the BEST new thing I ate in 2022. I can’t wait for summer because I plan on eating it every week.
PS ~ It freezes well :)
I had Farro at a salad bar a few days ago. I loved the texture and how it picked up flavors.
I saw this recipe and I had to try it. So delicious. We had it with backed chicken and the leftovers are for salad tomorrow. I used what i thought was an indecent amount of salt but it was perfect.
I was thinking abuot using lentils because that’s what I have any comments?
I can’t quite imagine it with lentils but … did you try it? If so, how was it?
Could you do this with rice (brown, whote or wild)? We have celiac and farro is not gluten free.
Brown rice would give you the closest texture if you don’t overcook it.
Made this last night and OMG we all said!! So easy and so delicious!!
This looks amazing! There are so many great summer corn recipes out there – do you have any suggestions for how to use the leftover Cobbs?
Delish!
I would suggest doubling the recipe! So So good! I made this vegan (just used Vegan Butter and no cheese). It’s already gone! Thank you!
Could this be made the day before and reheated?
This is fabulous! We had it tonight with local corn and a grilled strip steak. Yay Maine!!
This recipe is quite similar to a favorite recipe for pasta from The NY Times. I make it with frozen corn, baby gold and white corn, the closest I’ve found to fresh, straight-from-the-field corn that I buy in farmers’ markets here in Minnesota.
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018212-creamy-corn-pasta-with-basil
I LOVE this dish. It feels so decadent without being unhealthy. So unique and delicious. I love farro and make mushroom farrotto regularly, and I now have another farro recipe to add to my reportoire. I have made it once for a summer lunch and for a Fall dinner another time. I add hot chili peppers or flakes because I like to even out the sweetness, but that’s just a personal preference.
this was not my favorite smitten kitchen recipe. i love corn, and i love farro, so i’ve been so excited to make this. i followed the recipe as written, but the end result was just a little lacking; it was good, not great. i felt like it needed a little bit of acid; maybe it would do better as a side component to a more complex meal. while it was decent, i wouldn’t make it again.