Pizzichi Farro Pasta

Pizzichi means "pinched pasta." This pasta is a short diagonally cut pasta with rippled edges. It is approximately 1 3/4 inches long and 3/4 inch wide. Made from farro flour, it is brown in color. Farro is an unhybridized form of wheat that has a type of gluten that is easier to digest than the gluten in durum wheat pasta. Farro is rich in vitamins, minerals and oils, which provide fiber. The farro flour provides a nutty flavor to the pasta. Pasta made from farro is more fragile than pasta made from durum wheat and needs to be handled a little differently when cooked. It should be cooked in 4 quarts of water per pound as other pasta but it should not be stirred during the first 5 minutes of cooking.