Last week, I wrote about my Irish roots, so this week I thought I’d flip to the other half of my family: the Italian side. In an Italian family, one thing you learn to cook at a young age is risotto. And while I still love those fat little nuggets of Arborio rice, in the past year I’ve started branching out and experimenting with other grains to see if any lend an interesting taste or texture to this classic dish.
My favorite discovery, by far, has been using farro in the place of risotto. Farro also has a history with Italy, having been a staple of poorer areas since the time of ancient Rome. For the past several years though, and like so many other peasant dishes before it, it has been adopted into fine cuisine and now adds its deliciously nutty taste to tables both rich and poor. For this dish, I’ve paired it with mushrooms and peas, but the world is your vegetarian oyster, so go with whatever veggies float your non-fishing boat.
Farro with Mushrooms and Peas
Adapted by Beth Styles from a recipe originally published in Cooking Light magazine.
4 to 6 servings
1 oz. dried mushrooms
5 to 6 cups vegetable stock
2 Tbsp. olive oil
½ cup onion, finely chopped
1½ cups uncooked farro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 lb. button mushrooms, sliced
Salt to taste
½ cup dry white wine
Chopped thyme, to taste
1 cup frozen peas
¼ cup grated Parmesan
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Place the mushrooms in a small bowl and cover with boiling water to rehydrate. Let sit about 30 minutes, then drain the mushrooms, reserving the liquid. Chop the mushrooms and set aside.
• Pour the vegetable stock into a saucepan and add the reserved mushroom liquid. Heat over low heat until warm; do not bring to a boil.
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until they begin to soften. Then add the farro; stir to combine and saute for another 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the chopped, rehydrated mushrooms and sliced button mushrooms, then season to taste with salt. Stir to combine and saute for another 5 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender. Add the wine and thyme and cook until the wine has almost evaporated.
• Add ½ cup of the combined vegetable stock and reserved mushroom liquid to the Dutch oven. Cook until the liquid is almost absorbed, stirring occasionally. Repeat this process, adding ½ cup of stock at a time, until the farro is cooked and tender (This process should take about 4½ to 5 cups more stock and about 35 to 40 minutes, but you can add more stock if the farro isn’t tender yet.). Add in the peas with the last ½ cup of stock.
• Before serving, add the Parmesan and season to taste with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
This article appears in March 2013.