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dinner

Farro with Potato and Mushroom

March 8, 2011

Farro with Potato and Mushroom

Currently I’m obsessed with two things: chocolate and farro. I don’t know where the sudden chocolate craving’s come from (and I’m not complaining), but as for the latter, I’m having a lot of fun rustling up various dishes with the ancient grain.

My aim with this recipe was to recreate a potato-ey farro stew I ate at this adorable little trattoria in Spoleto. What I like about this recipe I came up with, is that even though it uses about 150g (5oz.) of farro, it serves 4 people. And generously, too.

The potato gives the dish some body, and that’s what helps make this stew a hearty one. Other than that, this recipe is pretty flexible and versatile for you to give it your own twist of flavour. For example, you could use thyme or sage instead of mint, or you could use broccoli instead of the mushrooms.

This is the kind of recipe that cannot be rushed. You need to let it simmer down slowly until the grains of farro have splayed, and the cubes of potatoes have rounded on the edges. The potato that has cooked into the dish gives it that wonderfully thick, soupy texture, and the rounded edges somehow makes the dish look like comfort food.

Farro with Potato and Mushroom

Potato and Mushroom Farro Stew Recipe

Yield: 4 servings

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cooking Time: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
4 cloves of garlic, minced
250g / 9oz button mushrooms, sliced
2 large potatoes (about 250g/9oz), peeled and cubed
150g / 5oz farro, soaked overnight
3-4 cups of chicken stock (or water if you don’t have any chicken stock)
a good handful of chopped mint leaves
Salt

Method:

In a medium sized pot, heat the olive oil and add the onions. Cook till translucent, and then add the garlic.
Add the mushrooms, and sauté until they are golden brown. Next, add the potatoes and the farro and cook for another few minutes before pouring in the chicken stock.
Let this simmer for 30-40 minutes until the grains of farro have splayed.
The farro should still be liquid-y when you serve it, so add stock accordingly.
Finally, stir in the chopped mint.
You can make this well ahead of time and then reheat it with more stock (since the grain will absorb all the moisture they can).

I’m down to the last one third of the farro I bought, and I’m looking for a recipe that is knock-your-socks-off good. Do you have a favourite farro recipe, or perhaps one that you can point me to?

{ 18 comments }

Mushroom and Rosemary Farro with Toasted Walnuts

February 23, 2011

Mushroom and Rosemary Farro with Toasted Walnuts

Remember I told you about my palate changing a while ago?

It’s happening. It’s happening again! And this time, I’m back to liking mushrooms.

When I was younger, the only type of mushroom that I was exposed to, and that was widely available, was the button mushroom. I often made a mushroom and baby corn stir-fry when I had some ‘exotic vegetable’ at hand. That continued well into my teens. But then there came a point when I’d squirm on the inside, and politely decline anything that had mushrooms. As far as I can remember, I can attribute this change of behavior to two things:

On one of those days when I wanted to cook something up, I asked my dad to get me a pack of mushroom. Unable to find fresh button mushrooms in the market, he got me a can of mushrooms just so I could cook my beef stroganoff. With a sweet gesture like that, how could I not use those mushrooms? (so what if they’re canned, I thought.) Little did I know that a strong aversion was to follow – canned mushrooms are simply a no-no.
Shiitake mushrooms. Having taken a class on Japanese cooking, I made a brave investment in some shiitake mushrooms. Of course, it ended up in my ‘special’ cabinet for longer than it should have. And when I opened the cabinet to stock my next fancy acquisition, the pungent, woody smell of dried shiitake had taken over the entire space, and I detested it. I had to toss it out. And with that, my friendship with mushrooms as well.

While I disliked mushrooms, and I dodged them every now and then, I didn’t entirely ignore them. Especially not on an eating trip. And I’m so glad I did, because that’s when I first tried porcini mushrooms. That’s all it took for me to fall back in love with mushrooms again.

With a pack of farro and porcini at hand, I set out to make myself some dinner. The rosemary and walnut pairing is genius, I say. And that with a mix of button and porcini mushrooms is a recipe packed with flavour. Plus how can you not like a recipe that makes you feel wonderfully light even after you’ve had a hearty serving?

Farro

But what’s farro?

Farro is touted to be amongst the healthiest grains there is. There has been much confusion over farro and spelt being the same thing. In fact, on a menu in a restaurant in Italy, Farro was (wrongly) translated as spelt that left me confused. But as this New York Times essay points out, they’re clearly not the same.

Farro is also (less popularly) known as Emmer. It is a type of wheat that is very popular in Italy and is rather versatile – you can have it hot or cold, in salads, to give soups some bite, as a side dish, or with beans, wheat and other vegetables.

And before you ask, if you don’t have farro, you can use whole wheat berries. They’ll work just as well.

Nutty Mushroom and Rosemary Farro Recipe

Serves: 2-3
Inspired from: NY Times

Ingredients

5g dried porcini mushrooms
2 cups chicken/vegetable stock (or water)
1 cup farro, soaked overnight
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
220g / 8oz. button mushrooms, cleaned, trimmed and sliced
Salt to taste
2 large garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons chopped fresh rosemary
Freshly ground pepper to taste
15g/ 0.5oz. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, more for the table
30g/1 oz. toasted walnuts, chopped

Directions

Place the porcini mushrooms in a bowl, and pour in 1 cup 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. 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. Add all but about 1/2 cup of the stock, and bring to a simmer. Cover and simmer for 30-40 minutes or until the farro is tender; some of the grains will be beginning to splay. Remove the lid, and stir 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, and use the additional stock if necessary.

Stir in the Parmigiano Reggiano, pepper, and walnuts. Remove from the heat and serve.

Note: You can make this several hours or even a day ahead and reheat. Add a little stock to it, and stir over medium heat to reheat.

Still scrolling down for a photo of the finished dish? Sorry! My memory card gave up on me, and I ended up losing a lot of my photos.

{ 11 comments }

Hazelnut Crusted Lamb Chops

February 3, 2011

The trip to Italy was filled with all sorts of fun things – visits to cheese factories and wineries, olive oil tastings, lots of food shopping and a few cooking lessons thrown in fom good measure. One such cooking lesson was held at Academia Barilla, where all of us donned chef hats and aprons and got working under the tutelage of Chef Matteo Carboni.

We made ourselves a 4 course meal, and the menu for our dinner read:

Artichoke cream with procini mushrooms and goat cheese
Swiss chard tortelli
Lamb chops with hazelnut crust served with endive and spinach timballo
Sbrisolona almond cake and Zabiaone.

What I was especially excited about were the lamb chops. One, because I think I don’t cook enough meat. And two, because there is no way I’d pass up an opportunity to work with hazelnuts.

The recipe for the hazelnut crusted lamb is really straightforward, and rather quick to make. The hazelnut crust was a definite winner – I began nibbling on bits and bobs of the crust initially for a quick taste-test, but I couldn’t stop after that. One thing I’d do differently – bake the chops instead of frying to cut back on all that grease.

Cut the rack of lamb and trim the meat.
Hazelnut crusted lamb chops
Chop up the herbs

Mix together the herbs, toasted bread crumbs and hazlenuts

Beat the eggs. (Such yellow eggs!)

Coat the lamb chops first with a little flour, then dip it in egg, and finally with the hazelnut mixture. Fry it.

Plate it. Eat it.

Lamb Chops with hazelnut crust

Serves: 4
Recipe source: Academia Barilla

600g lamb rack
20g parsley, chopped
20g marjoram, chopped
10g thyme, chopped
200g bread (a day old)
100ml olive oil
120g hazelnuts, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
flour for dusting
salt to taste
100g butter

Cut and trim the lamp chops of the excess fat. Set aside.
Sauté the herbs and bread crumbs in a little olive oil (about a tablespoon). Stir in the hazelnuts.
Now, dust the lamb chops with flour, then dip them in the eggs and finally coat them with the hazelnut mixture. Line the coated pieces of lamb chops in a plate until they are all ready to be fried. Season with salt.
Heat a pan, add the remaining olive oil and butter and cook the lamb chops until golden brown on either sides, about ten minutes.

This trip to Italy was sponsored by the Italian Government and the EU as a part of the European Art of Taste (EAT) Program.

{ 13 comments }

Double Corn and Mint Risotto

September 3, 2010

Double Corn and Mint Risotto

Of late I’ve been reading a lot about Italy. Everyone and their mothers are vacationing in Italy and then documenting their summer experience on their blog. This leaves the proletariat like me yearning for the unfulfilled experience. And it doesn’t stop there – I also have Italy talk going on in my inbox with so many readers. So, what’s the next best thing I can do to allay my emotions? Cook myself something Italian, of course! With a renewed sense of hope, I set out to make some risotto from a recipe I’d bookmarked eons ago.

Double Corn and Mint Risotto

With corn in season, it was time I ticked this corn risotto recipe off my list. I used white and yellow sweet corn in the risotto. I was toying with the idea of using either basil or mint because I wanted to maintain the delicate flavours of the corn risotto, instead of using a strong herb like thyme. So I tried both, and am happy to report that the mint flavour paired beautifully with the sweet corn (just like in the caramelised corn with mint). I’d pick that any day over basil, despite being a huge basil lover. Another thing worth noting is that adding sugar to the risotto while cooking brings out the innate sweetness of the corn. While it’s just so good to make it with homemade stock, I cheated and used cubes because I didn’t have any chicken carcasses at hand.

My only grouse with risottos is that you need to serve it immediately after they’re cooked – it’ not something you can prepare ahead of time, unless you precook the rice, like in restaurants. Even so, you will still have to do all the other work in the kitchen. It’s a pretty perfect meal that gets even better with some garlic bread. Two thumbs up.

Double Corn and Mint Risotto

Double Corn Risotto Recipe

Adapted from: This Week’s Menu
Yield: 4 servings

2 cups uncooked corn – white + sweet yellow
4 cups chicken broth
3 tbps butter
2-3 tbsp sugar (depending on how sweet your corn is)
1 onion, minced
1 cup Arborio rice
2 tbsp chopped mint
Salt and black pepper
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese

Equipment: Pans, chinoise, sauté spoon.

Method:

Puree 1 cup of the uncooked corn in a food processor until smooth. Strain it through a chinoise to get rid of all the tough corn skin.
In a saucepan, heat the chicken broth to a simmer.
In a large skillet over medium heat, melt 2 tbsp butter. Add the onion and sauté until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the rice and sauté, stirring, 3 minutes.
Stir in 1 cup of the chicken broth and the pureed corn and cook, stirring frequently, until the liquid has been absorbed, 5-7 minutes. Continue adding the remaining broth, 1 cup at a time, stirring frequently and waiting until the previous addition has been absorbed before adding more.
After adding 2 cups of the broth, add the remaining whole corn kernels. Add sugar, a tablespoon at a time, until it tastes right (not overtly sweet). Add in the seasoning.
After the last cup of broth has been absorbed, let the risotto cook 3 minutes more (I prefer it to be slightly liquid I might add a few tablespoon of broth after turning off the heat as well).
In the end, stir in the mint, parmesan and butter and cover it with a lid for all the flavours to marry, about 2 minutes.
Serve immediately.

{ 21 comments }

Stuffed Eggplant Goodness

August 26, 2009

Over the past weekend, while I was catching up on my feeds, my heart skipped a beat when I saw a beautiful photo of stuffed eggplants on La Tartine Gourmande. The stunning visual was enough to convince me to make them.

On my weekend grocery trip, I made sure to buy a firm and plump eggplant to make these stuffed shells of goodness. Grandma’s tip: run your finger over the eggplant and look closely – there shouldn’t be any tiny holes on it or you’ll have company when you cut it open.

This is one heck of a recipe that’s awfully flavourful and indescribably comforting. You will find yourself take one quick bite after another and will find it hard to share. I promise. What I also like about the recipe is that is excellent to make ahead of time and then reheat just before you want to eat it. This is one comfort food you should not deprive yourself of.

Stuffed Eggplants
Adapted from: Beatrice Peltre
Yield: 2 servings

2 medium or 1 large eggplant
Olive oil (for sprinkling)
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tbsp olive oil
½ tsp ground coriander
½ tsp ground cumin
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
2 medium ripe tomatoes, coarsely chopped
1 bay leaf
1 cup paneer or whole milk ricotta (I used crumbled paneer)
1/3 cup finely grated parmesan
1 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro
2 sausages or 2 slices ham, finely diced, or omit this if you’re vegetarian (I used chicken sausages)
1 egg, beaten
Extra fresh cilantro, chopped (for sprinkling)

Set the oven at 400°F/200°C.
Halve the eggplant lengthwise. Place them in the baking dish, cut sides up. Drizzle generously with olive oil and season to taste. Bake for 20 minutes or until tender.
Scoop out the eggplant flesh with a spoon and mash it gently with a fork.
In a skillet, heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. When it is hot, add the coriander, cumin and chopped garlic to it. Cook over medium heat, stirring often, for 2 minutes, or until the garlic is fragrant.
Add the tomatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring often, for 3-4 minutes.
Stir in the eggplant flesh. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, for 7 minutes or until the mixture is pulpy and well flavored. Discard the bay leaf.
Lower the oven temperature to 375°F/190C.
Stir the paneer/ricotta, parmesan, cilantro, sausages/ham, salt, and pepper into the eggplant mixture. Once the mixture is little cool, stir in the beaten egg. Fill the eggplant shells back with the stuffing. Reserve some of the parmesan for later.
Return the shells to the baking dish. Sprinkle with olive oil. Bake the eggplant for 30-40 minutes or until the shells are tender when pierced with a skewer. During the last 10 minutes of baking, sprinkle the reserved parmesan on top of the eggplant for a golden, cheesy finish!
Plate it. Eat it.

Again, go make this – your family will love you more. I’m talking from experience.

{ 57 comments }

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