If you like risotto, let us introduce you to farrotto. Made from farro, a pearled form of wheat that has its roots in Italy, this dish cooks faster than a rice-based risotto and has a nice bite to it. Farro is chewier than arborio rice, so this dish has a heartier texture than a typical risotto. Yes, risotto's signature creaminess comes from slaving over the stove, slowly adding more liquid to release the starches, but you can have something close without all of the slaving by making farrotto. If you forgot to soak the farro, just add a little bit longer to the cooking time.
Farrotto really needs no accompaniment, as it's a fairly complete meal on its own, but I make this at home with some grilled veggie sausages to balance out the carbohydrates with some protein (I particularly like the Field Roast Apple Sage sausages with this recipe) and a green salad.
Farrotto
Recipe by Sarah House
- 5-6 cups Vegetable Stock
- 1 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 1/2 cup diced Onion
- 2 cloves Garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup Dry White Wine (optional)
- 1/2 cup Organic Farro, soaked overnight
- 1 cup sliced Mushrooms
- 1/2 cup Green Peas
- 1 Tbsp Butter
- 2 Tbsp shredded Parmesan
Directions
Step 1
Bring vegetable stock to a low simmer and keep warm.
Step 2
Sauté onion in olive oil over medium heat until soft. Add garlic and sauté until fragrant, 1-2 minutes.
Step 3
Add farro and stir until coated with oil and beginning to release a nutty fragrance, about 2 minutes.
Step 4
Add white wine, if using, and let cook down until almost all liquid has been absorbed.
Step 5
Using a ½ cup ladle, add warm stock to the farro, one ladle at a time, stirring until all liquid has been absorbed before adding the next ladle. Cook farro, adding stock as needed, until farro has opened and softened, about 30 minutes.
Step 6
During the last 15 minutes of cooking, add the sliced mushrooms and cook until tender. Add peas and cook until softened and bright green. Season to taste with salt.
Step 7
Remove from heat and stir in butter and parmesan cheese.
Makes 4 servings
I just want to offer a bit of info about farro vs. pearled farro:
Farro is not "a pearled form of wheat". That's pearled farro. Farro is a term used to describe several ancient wheats (einkorn, emmer, and spelt), which can be left whole or pearled, completely or partially. Pearled wheat is wheat that has had some or all of the bran removed to expose the starchy interior of the grain, which is then left whole. Whole farro behaves differently than pearled farro when making risotto or any other recipe.