domingo, 16 de novembro de 2008

wild mushroom fricassee over farro







Peter Berely has a wonderful book called Fresh Food Fast, where he presents delicious vegetarian dishes that are full of flavor and easy to make. He divided the book into seasons, and the dish of this post is the first one on the autumn section.

I love this dish! The flavors are amazing. The combination of the herbs with mushrooms and the chewiness of the farro with the sharpness of parmesan cheese make my eyes roll. If the Buddha was a chef, this fricassee would be in his bistro's menu.

If you haven't cooked with farro, or can't find it in your area, don't be discouraged. You can substitute with any grain or even pasta if you prefer. Farro is another name for spelt, an ancient, protein-rich strain of wheat that can be tolerated by a lot of people who are allergic to modern wheat. It's a semi-refined grain, only the most outer husk is removed. This makes it faster to cook and easier to chew and digest than whole wheat berries. Like rice, farro will cook on the stove top in about 25 minutes, or just 9 minutes in a pressure cooker.

If you can only find one type of mushroom, that's fine. Just don't use the white variety, since they render no flavor.


wild mushroom fricassee over farro:

  • 2 lbs mixed mushrooms, such as shitake, chanterelle, cremini, and oyster, cleaned
  • 3 Tbsp olive oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • Freshly milled black pepper
  • 1 1/2 cups farro
  • 2 Tbsp butter
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 2 tsp all-purpose flour
  • 2/3 cup dry red wine
  • 3 Tbsp parsley, chopped
  • 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh thyme
  • 2 tsp finely chopped rosemary
  • 1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese


To prepare the fricassee, place a baking dish on the middle shelf of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees.

Cut the large mushrooms into 1-inch pieces, leaving small ones whole.

In a bowl, toss the mushrooms with 2 Tbsp of the oil, and season with salt and pepper. Spread the mushrooms on the hot pan and roast for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the farro. In a medium saucepan bring to a boil 4 cups of chicken or vegetable stock. Add the farro and let it simmer for 25 minutes in low heat. When the water is almost all absorbed remove from heat and put the lid on.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the onions and 1/2 tsp of salt. Saute until he onions begin to brown, about 5 minutes. Transfer the roasted mushrooms to the pan with the onions. Add the flour and saute, stirring, until it browns and begins to stick to the bottom of the pan, about 3 minutes.

Add the wine and 1/2 cup of water. Scrape up the brown bits from the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes.

Add the herbs and garlic to the pan and simmer for 1 minute. Season with salt and pepper. Serve over farro and sprinkle with grated parmesan. Serves 4.

Um comentário:

  1. Oh Vini! These pictures and posts are beautiful. I am so thrilled you've decided to do this and can not wait to see what you cook up next.

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