Flashback Friday - Farro Risotto

This post originally appeared on Minxeats.com on September 18, 2012.

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When my dad and I went to The Fork & Wrench a couple of months back, the best thing I ate was the farro risotto that accompanied my fatty and under-seasoned duck breast. (Yes, I am still bitter about that. I wanted the scallops, dammit.) I fell in love with the pleasantly chewy texture of farro and vowed to recreate the dish at home.

Unfortunately, farro isn't one of those things available in just any grocery store, so I had to turn to teh Innernets to find a source. Farro ain't cheap, because in most cases, it has to be ordered in bulk. However, I did find one company, Capri Flavors, that let me order a single pound of the stuff for a relatively mere $4.44. (I also bought some other Italian goodies and was pleased that my order shipped so quickly.)

Despite being pretty gung-ho to make the risotto...err...farrotto...I put the stuff in the cabinet and forgot about it for several weeks, digging it out only recently to play with it.

I wasn't sure how long it would take to cook the stuff - would making a farrotto take longer than a risotto made with rice? or steel cut oats?  So I consulted the Google. Giada the Human Lollipop suggested soaking the farro in water for 30 minutes, which softened the stuff up nicely. After draining, the farro only needed about 2 cups of stock to make it tender enough to eat, but I used three. I used only onion and salt and pepper as seasonings, but that was adequate--the result was quite tasty. Next time though, I think I'll try adding some mushrooms.

Here's a recipe of sorts...I don't think this sort of thing is rocket science, since I didn't measure anything and it came out fine. You might want to read it all the way through before you start cooking.

Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. That seems like a lot of oil, but once the onion has softened, toss in 1 cup of farro that has been soaked in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes and drained. Stir until the farro is coated with oil (add more if necessary) and starts to brown, 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, have 3 cups of chicken stock warming in a saucepan nearby. When the farro is toasty, put in a cup of stock. Stir regularly until stock is mostly evaporated, then add another cup. Hell, put the rest in - it won't matter. Cook over medium heat until there's just a bit of moisture left, then put in a couple tablespoons of butter and a splash or two of cream (heavy, light, half-and-half - whatever you have). Cheese is nice, too - I added a half cup of shredded Muenster, because that's what I had. Stir until it's all nice and creamy, season with salt and pepper, and then eat. Right out of the pan, if that's what floats your boat.

Posted on Minxeats.com.

Farro Salad

I'm a fan of Deb Perelman's blog, Smitten Kitchen. It's actually one of the few blogs I still read regularly; she writes in an entertaining manner, and her recipes are uniformly successful. Because I knew the recipes would be solid, I made sure to get a copy of her cookbook and read it from cover to cover. Several recipes jumped out at me, screaming, "make me! make me!" One of those was this salad of farro with carrots, parsnips, feta, and mint, all bathed in a dressing of lemon juice, harissa, and honey. And there you have the recipe. It's really simple and really good. The farro is pleasantly chewy, the root vegetables are sweet, the mint aromatic, and the dressing and cheese really liven up the dish. I think this will become a warm-weather staple in my house, once I can figure out how to cook the root veg without turning on the oven. Perhaps pan sauteeing over high heat, maybe charring the veg first over a gas burner.

I'm just going to paraphrase the recipe here, telling you what I did. If you want the exact recipe, you'll just have to buy the book!

Farro Salad with Carrots and Other Good Stuff

1 pound of parsnips, peeled and cut into matchsticks
1 pound of carrots, peeled and cut into matchsticks
Seems like a lot of veg, but they shrink down to nothing. Toss the veg with olive oil and salt and spread out onto two foil-lined baking sheets. Roast 20 minutes at 400°F, stir, then roast an additional 10 minutes. Set aside to cool to room temperature.

8 ounces of dry farro
Add farro to 2 1/4 cups water or stock with a big pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer and cover pot. Cook 35 minutes, or until tender and fluffy. (I used Wegman's brand farro and it was done in about 25 minutes. YMMV.) Cover pot and let sit for 10 mins or so to allow farro to absorb remaining water (I poured it out.) Fluff with a fork.

Make a dressing with 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, a big pinch of cumin, 2 teaspoons of honey, and harissa to taste. (I have dried harissa powder in a jar and it's very mild so I used 2 teaspoons. Other brands will be uber hot, so use judiciously.) Season with salt and set aside. Have more lemon ready, in case you need more oompfh.

Toss the cooked farro with the dressing and add the veg. Toss again. Add a big handful of crumbled feta cheese and another handful of chopped fresh mint. Stir and taste for seasoning. You might need more salt and or lemon juice, as I did.

I served the salad with boneless skinless chicken thighs that I had marinated in a combo of salt, harissa, cumin, and olive oil (pinches of each for 3 thighs). Browned on both sides in a bit of olive oil, then turned down the heat and cooked until done, about 20 minutes total.



Posted on Minxeats.com.

Farro Risotto

When my dad and I went to The Fork & Wrench a couple of months back, the best thing I ate was the farro risotto that accompanied my fatty and under-seasoned duck breast. (Yes, I am still bitter about that. I wanted the scallops, dammit.) I fell in love with the pleasantly chewy texture of farro and vowed to recreate the dish at home.

Unfortunately, farro isn't one of those things available in just any grocery store, so I had to turn to teh Innernets to find a source. Farro ain't cheap, because in most cases, it has to be ordered in bulk. However, I did find one company, Capri Flavors, that let me order a single pound of the stuff for a relatively mere $4.44. (I also bought some other Italian goodies and was pleased that my order shipped so quickly.)

Despite being pretty gung-ho to make the risotto...err...farrotto...I put the stuff in the cabinet and forgot about it for several weeks, digging it out only recently to play with it.

I wasn't sure how long it would take to cook the stuff - would making a farrotto take longer than a risotto made with rice? or steel cut oats?  So I consulted the Google. Giada the Human Lollipop suggested soaking the farro in water for 30 minutes, which softened the stuff up nicely. After draining, the farro only needed about 2 cups of stock to make it tender enough to eat, but I used three. I used only onion and salt and pepper as seasonings, but that was adequate--the result was quite tasty. Next time though, I think I'll try adding some mushrooms.

Here's a recipe of sorts...I don't think this sort of thing is rocket science, since I didn't measure anything and it came out fine. You might want to read it all the way through before you start cooking.

Saute 1/2 cup chopped onion in 3 tablespoons of olive oil and a pinch of salt. That seems like a lot of oil, but once the onion has softened, toss in 1 cup of farro that has been soaked in 3 cups of water for 30 minutes and drained. Stir until the farro is coated with oil (add more if necessary) and starts to brown, 5 minutes or so. Meanwhile, have 3 cups of chicken stock warming in a saucepan nearby. When the farro is toasty, put in a cup of stock. Stir regularly until stock is mostly evaporated, then add another cup. Hell, put the rest in - it won't matter. Cook over medium heat until there's just a bit of moisture left, then put in a couple tablespoons of butter and a splash or two of cream (heavy, light, half-and-half - whatever you have). Cheese is nice, too - I added a half cup of shredded Muenster, because that's what I had. Stir until it's all nice and creamy, season with salt and pepper, and then eat. Right out of the pan, if that's what floats your boat.

Posted on Minxeats.com.