Mushroom Farro Risotto

This hearty risotto uses farro in place of traditional rice and is loaded with flavor from savory wild mushrooms and roasted asparagus. Yum!

About this Farro Risotto!

Despite my aversion to making risotto, when I saw a recipe for farro risotto in Cooking Light, my interest was piqued. I’m on a bit of grain kick and farro is one of the few that I haven’t experimented with too much yet.

I also (mistakenly!) thought that maybe I could spend a little bit less time babysitting farro risotto. But you know what? It was totally worth the time and effort. Farro risotto is good. Dare I say better than risotto risotto? Yes, I dare!

Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
• 1 lb asparagus tough ends removed, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil + 2 tsp additional
• 5 ½ cup no-beef broth or mushroom stock
• 1 ½ cup farro
• 1 small onion chopped
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• 4 oz wild mushroom blend sliced
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 tsp fresh thyme chopped
• ¼ cup parmesan cheese grated
• ¼ cup fresh flat-leaf parsley chopped
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
• Place dried shiitake mushrooms in a medium bowl and cover with boiling water. Let stand 30 minutes or until tender. Drain and coarsely chop.
• Toss asparagus and 2 tsp. of olive oil on a baking sheet. Roast for 10 minutes or until tender, stirring halfway through.
• Bring broth to a simmer in a small saucepan. Keep stock warm over low heat.
• Heat remaining olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add farro and onion; cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly. Add shiitake mushrooms and wild mushrooms. Cook for 5 minutes or until wild mushrooms are tender, stirring occasionally. Add wine and thyme; cook until liquid almost evaporates.
• Add ½ cup of broth to farro mixture; cook over medium heat 4 minutes or until the liquid is nearly absorbed, stirring occasionally. Add remaining 5 cups of broth ½ cup at a time, stirring occasionally until stock is absorbed before adding the next. (This takes about 40 minutes. Yes really.)
• When adding the last ½ cup of broth, stir in cheese as well. When broth is absorbed completely, stir in parsley, roasted asparagus, salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Nutrition