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Farro with Mushrooms and Rosemary
Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
25 mins
Total Time
40 mins
 
Farro is an ancient wheat that is still popular in Italy. It has a nutty flavor and is perfectly made into a side dish with roast chicken or pork. I love the creaminess sautéed mushrooms brings when combined with grains so I added a full pound of mushrooms to complement the farro. For added texture and nuttier flavor, I added cashews. Sherry vinegar added at the end of cooking brightens the earthy meal. If you can't find sherry vinegar substitute it with red wine vinegar or lemon juice. I toast farro using pearlized farro. Whole farro needs to be soaked overnight, to soften the bran, then simmered in water the next day. It is hard to toast grains that are saturated with water so this technique might not work. However, you can still enjoy this recipe using whole farro. Simply follow the cooking instructions given with the farro, then add the cooked farro to the sautéed mushrooms and onions. For a vegetarian entrée: add cannellini beans, lentils, or chickpeas, and sautéed greens with the farro.
Course: Side Dish, Vegetarian Main
Cuisine: American
Keyword: farro
Servings: 8 servings
Author: Ginger
Ingredients
For the Farro
  • 1 TB Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 2 cloves garlic peeled and crushed
  • 1/2 tsp dried red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup 188 g pearled farro
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 4 cups 1 liter water
  • 1/2 tsp Kosher salt
For the Farro with Mushrooms and Rosemary
  • 2 TB Extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 small sweet onion minced
  • 1 medium shallot minced
  • 2 stalks celery minced reserve leaves for later
  • 8 oz (225 g) baby bella mushrooms a mix of sliced and rough chopped
  • 8 oz (225 g) button mushrooms a mix of sliced and rough chopped
  • 1 tsp dried porcini mushroom powder* optional
  • 1 large sprig fresh rosemary
  • 1 TB butter
  • 1 TB sherry vinegar
  • 2 oz (62 g) 62 g lightly salted cashews, rough chopped
  • More rosemary and celery leaves for garnish
Instructions
Make the Farro
  1. Place a large skillet on a burner and turn the heat to medium. Add the olive oil. Just when the olive oil begins to shimmer, add the crushed garlic and red pepper flakes. Stir to coat and gently sauté until the garlic begins to brown and soften, about 3 minutes. Add the farro and bay leaf and stir to coat. Constantly stir the grains while toasting so they do not burn. Toast the farro until it begins to brown and become fragrant. Add the water and Kosher salt then bring to boil. Cover the skillet and turn down the heat to a simmer. Cook the farro until tender but still has a bite. It should not be mushy or the grain split open. Start tasting the farro at 15 minutes for doneness and continue as needed. When the farro is just cooked, drain the water and remove the bay leaf.
Putting it all together
  1. Meanwhile, heat up a large skillet and add 2 TB olive oil. When the oil starts to shimmer, add the celery onions and shallots. Stir to combine. Remove the rosemary leaves off its stem and add the stem to the onions and celery. Reserve the rosemary leaves for later. Sauté on medium heat until the vegetables get tender and the onions translucent. Add a small pinch of Kosher salt, about 1/4 tsp and stir.
  2. Add all the mushrooms and stir to get them nicely coated with oil. Continue to cook and occasionally stir until all the juices from the mushrooms evaporate.
  3. Scoop out a tablespoon of the farro cooking liquid and add it plus 1 teaspoon of the dried mushroom powder to the mushrooms. Stir until mixed in. Taste and correct the seasoning for salt. Remove the rosemary stems and stir in the butter.
  4. When the farro is cooked al dente and drained from the water, add it to the skillet with the mushrooms. Stir. Add the minced rosemary and stir to combine. Taste for seasoning. Add a few grinds of the fresh pepper and one tablespoon of sherry vinegar, turn off the heat and stir.

  5. Garnish with chopped cashews, chopped celery leaves, and chopped rosemary. This dish can be made ahead and reheated later. Add the cashews and herb garnishes just before serving.
  6. Serve hot as a side dish.
Recipe Notes

To make the dried mushroom powder. Add a small handful of dried mushrooms to a clean spice grinder and grind to a fine powder. Continue until you used up all your dried mushrooms. Put the mushroom powder in a container with a tight-fitting lid. Store in your pantry for 3 months. This mushroom powder recipe is from My Master Recipes by Patricia Wells.