Farro With Mushrooms

October 7, 2021October 7, 2021 Belinda

Farro is chewier than Italian rice and doesn’t release starch when it’s cooked, so there’s no need to stir it the way you’d stir a risotto. This hearty dish has a rich, earthy flavor. Although it takes about twice as long as a risotto to cook, it doesn’t require tending.
Recipe by Martha Rose Shulman for the New York Times

Serves 6

½ oz (1/2 cup, approximately) dried porcini mushrooms
1 quart chicken stock or vegetable stock
1 ½ cups farro
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
½ cup finely chopped onion
1 lb cremini mushrooms or wild mushrooms (or a mixture of the two), cleaned, trimmed and sliced
Salt to taste
2 large garlic cloves, green shoots removed, minced
2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
½ cup dry white wine
Freshly ground pepper to taste
2 oz Parmesan cheese, grated (1/2 cup)
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

Place the farro in a bowl, and pour on enough hot water to cover by an inch. Let soak while you prepare the remaining ingredients. Drain.
Place the dried mushrooms in a large Pyrex measuring cup or bowl, and pour in 2 cups boiling water. Let sit 30 minutes.
Drain the mushrooms through a strainer set over a bowl and lined with cheesecloth or a paper towel. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer, then rinse in several changes of water to remove grit. Chop coarsely if the pieces are large and set aside. Add the broth from the mushrooms to the stock. You should have 6 cups (add water if necessary). Place in a saucepan, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt to taste.

Heat the oil over medium heat in a large, heavy nonstick skillet. Add the onion. Cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about three minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until they begin to soften and sweat. Add salt to taste, the garlic and rosemary.
Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are tender, about five minutes. Add the farro and reconstituted dried mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the grains of farro are separate and beginning to crackle, about two minutes. Stir in the wine and cook, stirring until the wine has been absorbed. Add all but about 1 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer.

Cover and simmer 50 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir vigorously from time to time. Taste and adjust seasoning. There should be some liquid remaining in the pot but not too much. If the farro is submerged in stock, raise the heat and cook until there is just enough to moisten the grains, like a sauce. If there is not, stir in the remaining stock.
If not serving right away, cover and let stand. Just before serving, bring back to a simmer, add the Parmesan, parsley and pepper, and stir together. Remove from the heat and serve.

Do-ahead · Salad

Moroccan spiced winter farro salad

October 9, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

This salad is the tastiest, best way to use up some of your favorite winter vegetables.
The flavors mingle perfectly together to create a lively, warming dish that is perfect for the winter months.

Serves 6-8

1 cup dry farro” cooked according to package directions, but with broth instead of water
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into long strips
2 large parsnips, peeled and cut into long strips
4 tbsp olive oil, for roasting
1 cup pistachios, toasted
1/2 cup crumbled feta
1/4 cup dried apricots, chopped
1/4 cup fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Moroccan Dressing:
2 tbsp honey or maple syrup
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup vinegar- red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, apple cider vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely minced (use a garlic press)
1/2 tsp salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp cumin (I roast/toast mine first, as it releases more oils)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cloves
pinch or two chili flakes (optional, but good)

Cook the farro according to the package directions. While the farro cooks, prepare and roast your parsnips and carrots.
Preheat your oven to 400 F.
Coat two large baking sheets with two tablespoon2 olive oil each. Peel carrots and parsnips, and cut them into 2 inch lengths. If they’re skinny, quarter them lengthwise to make batons. If they’re thicker, cut them into matchsticks about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick. Spread the vegetables on prepared baking sheets, and sprinkle them with salt.
Roast for 20 minutes, then toss them about in their pan, before roasting them for a further 10 minutes.

Whisk the dressing ingredients together, seasoning to taste with pinches of salt.

In a large bowl, combine cooked farro, roasted vegetables, roasted pistachios and dried apricots.
Stir in most of the herbs and feta, leaving a spoonful of each for garnish.
Stir in dressing.
Serve, garnished with the reserved feta and fresh herbs.

Dairy-free · Fish · Grains · Salad

Chickpea, farro and shrimp bowl

September 9, 2020 Belinda

Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea and farro salad with fresh veggies, herbs and a zippy citrus and olive oil dressing. You can add shrimp as instructed here or serve vegan. Lemon chicken is another great option to add.

2 1/2 cup/345 g cooked farro (you’ll start with 1 cup dry and cook according to package, see recipe notes)
2 cups/330 g cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (canned chickpeas are fine)
10 oz/283.495 g cherry tomatoes, halved (I used different color tomatoes)
1 English cucumber, diced
2 green onions, trimmed and chopped (both white and green parts)
1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped
15 mint leaves, chopped

For the shrimp
1 lb/453.592 g large shrimp, peeled and deviened
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (I used Greek Early Harvest)

For the salad dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp/ approx 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 tsp/202 g dried oregano
1/2 tsp/ 1.01 g ground cumin (I roast my own)
1/2 tsp/1.03 g sumac

In a small bowl or mason jar, add the dressing ingredients (lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and sumac.) Whisk well, or close the mason jar and shake until well-combined.

In a large salad bowl, combine cooked farro with the chickpeas and remaining salad ingredients (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, parsley, and mint leaves).

Pour the majority of the dressing on top of the salad, toss to combine (leave a bit of the dressing, like 3 tbsp or so for the shrimp.) Set aside to allow flavors to meld.

To make the shrimp. Place the uncooked shrimp in a bowl, pat dry with some paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat.
Heat a skillet or griddle over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook on one side till they start to turn pink, turn over and cook on both sides (4 to 5 minutes in total.) Turn heat off and add the remaining 3 tbsp of dressing to the hot shrimp, toss to coat.

To serve, transfer the farro salad to a serving platter or individual serving bowls. Add shrimp on top.

Cook’s Tip for How to Cook Farro: You can cook farro a couple days in advance and keep in the fridge in a tight-lid glass container. Start with 1 cup dry farro combined with 3 cups of water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Cooked farro will keep a pleasantly chewy bite.

Dairy-free · Do-ahead · Grains · Salad · Vegan

Kale & farro salad with almonds and pomegranate

January 24, 2020September 7, 2022 Belinda

Recipe from food blog, “Feasting at Home” Sylvia Fountaine.

This Kale and Farro Salad is one of my all-time favorite vegan salads. Think of it like a Winter Tabouli Salad. It’s loaded up with chopped kale and parsley and instead of bulgar, hearty farro is added to the mix. Pomegranate seeds replace out-of-season tomatoes here and toasted almonds give this a nice crunch! The best part? It can be made ahead!

Screen Shot 2020-01-24 at 10.13.45 AM

Serves 6-8
1 cup cooked farro (or sub wheat berries, bulgar wheat, quinoa, or other grain)
1 bunch lacinato kale ( 8-10 ounces) finely chopped, about 4–5 cups.
4 tbsp olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tbsp lemon zest
1/2 tsp salt
1 bunch flat leaf parsley, very finely chopped ( tender stems, OK) about 1-2 cups
1/4 cup red onion, finely chopped
1 cup pomegrante seeds
1/2 cup – 1 cup toasted almonds, chopped, slivered, or sliced
1 tbsp lemon juice, and more to taste
1/2 tsp allspice, more to taste
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)
Optional Garnish: Avocado slices for extra richness

Start farro to cook on the stove ( 1/2 cup dry). Place in a pot of salted water, bring to a boil, lower heat, cover, simmer gently until tender, 30-40 minutes. Drain.
Chop kale finely and place in a large bowl. Add oil, salt, garlic and lemon zest. Massage the kale with clean hands until kale becomes tenderized, 4-5 minutes.
Add parsley, onion, pomegranate, almonds and farro. Toss to combine and add lemon juice and allspice and cinnamon.
Mix and taste, adding more salt, allspice and lemon to your taste. If making ahead, make sure to re-taste right before serving- the farro will soak up much of the salt and lemon, so usually I’ll add more.
For extra richness, right before serving, add slices of avocado if you like.
notes