I like stevia. I also like aspartame, which tastes so much better than that stuff it replaced: saccharine. Now, that was just nasty.

Last night, I made a really good chicken-and-rice-type dish using farro instead of rice. I browned some chicken pieces (sprinkled with Old Bay seasoning) and set them aside, then added garlic, onion and reconstituted porcini to the pan, followed by farro. For liquid, I used stock, and the water from soaking the porcini, with some lemon juice, seasoned with salt, pepper and thyme. The proportion of liquid to farro is the same as for rice.

I let the farro cook in the big sauté pan for half an hour before putting the chicken pieces on top of the half-cooked grain, put the lid back on and let it alone until the farro was done. It was just delicious — the grains plump and tender, but chewy. With a cheap bottle of Provençal rose, it was a terrific meal. Definitely a recipe to add to the rotation.