Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens

Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens — Vegan, Non-Dairy

Last Swiss Chard Harvest for the YearHearty, Warm and Comforting One-Pot Mushroom Farrotto

Craving something warm and comforting?  From its heady aromas filling your home while cooking, to the savory deliciousness of the mushrooms and creamy farro, Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens is both a colorful side dish and entrée, perfectly suited for the cooler fall and Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens winter months And, for a change of texture, any leftovers are easily formed into crispy, baked Farrotto cakes.

Unlike risotto, Farrotto (risotto made with farro) requires minimal stirring to create its luscious, creamy texture. When you already have homemade stock in your fridge or freezer, Mushroom Farrotto comes together relatively quickly. And, it is an easily mastered and elegant dish for both every day and special occasions.

Whole Farro, Semi-perlato or perlato?

An heirloom strain of wheat, fiber-rich farro releases starch as it cooks, yet maintains a chewy al dente texture. Making farro ideal for Farrotto. Farro can also be used in salads, soups and stews.

Farro comes in three different forms: whole farro, farro semi-perlato and farro perlato. Whole farro requires an overnight soaking and about an hour of cooking time. Whereas farro semi-perlato and perlato require about 30 minutes to cook. farro perlatoThese are the ones to use in this recipe for Mushroom Farrotto.

What about gluten?
Though not gluten-free, farro has considerably less gluten than wheat. People with mild gluten sensitivity, often find farro easier to digest than wheat. However, if you are gluten-intolerant, farro’s not for you ;-(

Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens

Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens

Your choice of greens for Mushroom Farrotto. Enjoy the ease of using baby greens, especially this time of year when there are no longer greens (or much else) in our gardens. If using spinach or Swiss Chard, remove their stems and cut them into approximately 1-inch wide by two to three-inch-long strips. Fresh spinach and baby greens will have the same cooking time. Increase the cooking time for Swiss Chard.

Plus, leftovers can be made into Baked Mushroom Farrotto Cakes.Baked Mushroom Farrotto Cake

I’ve made Mushroom Farrotto vegan by substituting nutritional yeast for the more typical pecorino cheese. Should you prefer the richness of cheese, substitute ½ cup pecorino for the nutritional yeast.

Inspired by a recipe from Martha Rose Shulman

Note: a big thank you to Cooks’ Illustrated’s Steve Dunn for discovering that partially breaking down the farro in a blender before cooking it makes for a creamier, more tender textured Farrotto that doesn’t require a lot of stirring to make it so.

Yield: 6-8 servings                                         Printer-Friendly Recipe
Time About 1 ½ hours

Ingredients
  • ½ ounce (approximately 1/2 cup) dried, mixed mushrooms
  • 1-quart chicken stock or vegetable stock (difference between stock and broth)
  • 1 ½ cups pearled or semi-pearled farro, unrinsedLightly Pulsed Farro
  • 1-2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 ½ cups ¼-inch diced onion
  • 1-pound cremini mushrooms or wild mushrooms (or a mixture of the two), cleaned, trimmed and sliced 1/8-inch thick
  • 2 teaspoons salt, divided
  • 2 large garlic cloves, finely minced or put through a garlic press
  • 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh rosemary (1 ½ – 2 teaspoons dry)
  • 12 twists freshly ground pepper
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 4 cups lightly packed baby greens (i.e., Earthbound Farms Power Greens) or Swiss Chard or Spinach
  • 1 cup frozen peas, defrosted
  • ¼ – ⅓ cup nutritional yeast
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
Preparation
  1. Place the farro in a blender. Pulse the farro on high 3-4 or more times until at least half of the farro is broken into smaller pieces.
  2. Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and pour 2 ½ cups boiling water Rehydrating Dried Mushroomsover them. Let them sit for 30 minutes while you prepare the rest of the ingredients.
  3. After 30 minutes, drain the mushrooms through a fine-mesh strainer set over a bowl. Squeeze the mushrooms over the strainer, then rinse them in clean water to remove grit.
  4. Discard any tough mushrooms. If the remaining rehydrated mushrooms are large, coarsely chop them and set them aside. Add the soaking liquid from the mushrooms to the stock making 6 cups (add water if necessary). Place the stock in a small saucepan and bring it to a simmer. Season with 1-teaspoon salt.
  5. To cook Mushroom Farrotto: Heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large Dutch oven. Add the diced Cook Until Tender & Glisteningonion. Cook, covered, for 7 minutes. Raise the heat to medium and stir in the fresh mushrooms and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms begin to soften and glisten, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, rosemary and freshly ground pepper. Continue to cook, stirring often, until the mushrooms are very tender, about 5 minutes.
  6. Stir in the farro and reconstituted dried mushrooms. Cook, stirring, until the broken grains of farro begins to stick to the pan, about 2 minutes.
  7. Add the stock and the bay leaves. Bring the mixture to a boil. Lower the Mushroom Farrotto A One-Pot Mealheat, cover the pot and simmer 25-30 minutes or until the farro is tender. Every 10 minutes stir the Mushroom Farrotto and scrape the bottom of the pot to remove any farro that is beginning to stick.
  8. Mix in the power greens and cover the pot. Check after 3 minutes. When tender, stir in the frozen peas, nutritional yeast and fresh parsley. Taste and adjust the salt and pepper. Remove Mushroom Farrotto with Peas and Greens from the heat and serve.

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