Butter Roasted Tomato Gratin

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Add the farro to a medium saucepan and cover with 1 inch of water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer until grains are tender but still have a bit of “chew,” about 18 to 20 minutes. Drain farro well and spread it out on a baking sheet to cool.

Mince the garlic. Combine the minced garlic, crushed tomatoes, butter, just half of the thyme sprigs (keep the leaves on), and a pinch of salt and pepper in an 8x8 baking dish. Bake the tomatoes until the butter has melted, about 10 minutes. Open the oven, give the buttered tomatoes a stir, and return the dish to the oven to bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Place a large skillet over medium heat with 2 tsp olive oil. Add the panko breadcrumbs and a pinch of the roasted garlic sea salt. Toast the breadcrumbs, stirring frequently, until golden brown, about 2 to 4 minutes. Taste and add more roasted garlic sea salt if you’d like. Transfer breadcrumbs to a small bowl. Pick the remaining thyme leaves from the stems and finely chop.

Destem the kale and roughly chop the leaves. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans. Return the large skillet to medium-high heat with 1 tsp olive oil. Once hot, add the chopped kale and reduce heat to medium. Cook the kale until bright green and tender, about 3 to 5 minutes, then add the cannellini beans. Season with salt and pepper, toss to combine, and cook until hot, about 1 minute.

Remove the thyme sprigs from the buttered tomatoes. Top the tomatoes with the kale and cannellini beans and sprinkle with breadcrumbs. Return the gratin to the oven until the top is well browned, about 3 to 5 minutes. Wipe the skillet clean and return it to medium-high heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add the farro and chopped thyme and cook until the grains are crisp and develop a golden sheen, about 5 to 7 minutes.

Divide the toasted farro between large plates and top with the butter roasted tomato gratin. Bon appetit!