Recipe review: Warm Farro with Winter Vegetables

Last summer I traveled to northern Italy and made a new friend named farro. I'd never heard of it before, and I have since stocked up and make it pretty often to take to work for lunch.  (Psst, you can buy it in large bags from Amazon for a pretty good price if you're interested.)  I tried Warm Farro with Winter Vegetables from La Cucina Italiana, an interesting magazine that mixes simple recipes with very complicated ones utilizing obscure ingredients, all the while curating rare, traditional Italian recipes and great information about Italian wines.  It's part cooking, part food history and genealogy, and it's a fascinating read if you are interested in Italian food culture, even when you can't make a thing from it.  

If you compare my version of the recipe with the original (linked above), you'll see I tried to save all the flavors present while pairing down the number of dirty pots and tedious steps to follow, a consistent complaint I have about the magazine.  I also bumped up the bacon content, so you're welcome. 

I usually eat salads for dinner, and this is a nice variation on the usual cold vegetables doused in vinegar when the house is feeling particularly drafty.  

Warm Farro with Winter Vegetables

Serves 4

• zest of 1 orange
• salt
• 6 ounces kale, stems and center ribs discarded and sliced into thin ribbons (chiffonade)
• 1 cup farro
• 1/2  pound Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
• 4 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil 
• 5 ounces cauliflower, cut into 1-inch florets (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 1/2 celery ribs, cut into 1-inch matchsticks
• 1 1/2 cups cubed (about 1/2-inch), peeled butternut squash (from a 1 1/4-pound squash)
• 2 slices bacon (optional), cut into small pieces
• Freshly ground black pepper
• red wine vinegar

Bring 1 large pot of salted water to a boil. Add farro and cook, stirring occasionally, until farro is tender yet still firm, 20 to 25 minutes. 

While farro is cooking, set up a steamer insert (the kind that sits on top of the pot) filled with the Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, and celery and cook over the farro.  Check occasionally; depending on how firm you want them, veggies should be done in 15-20 minutes. (If you don't have this kind of steamer, bummer for you--get one at Ikea.  For now, you can do it in a separate pot.)

Meanwhile, heat the oven to 375F.  Line a baking sheet with foil and scatter the cubed squash and bacon in a single layer.  Bake until squash is tender and bacon is crisp, about 25 minutes.

In the last 5 minutes of cooking the farro, stir in the sliced kale, and continue to boil until farro is done and kale is a bit wilted.  This is a good time to check the doneness of your steamed vegetables so that they don't get too mushy.

Drain the farro and kale and place in a large serving bowl along with the steamed vegetables, orange zest, bacon (go ahead and throw a little bit of the grease in there, too) and squash; stir to combine.  Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper, drizzle with red wine vinegar, and enjoy! 

Shepherd's Pie gets a makeover

I love Shepherd’s Pie, from the rich stew underneath to the crusty, golden brown mashed potatoes on top.  It’s a staple in British and Irish pubs, and it was a special treat we would occasionally eat at home growing up.  I equate it with cold winter nights, adventures abroad (in which I learned that many of my family's staple meals were merely rip-offs from the motherland), and the massive tangle that is Midwest-Irish-British-whatever-the-hell culture. But it’s filled with stuff I don’t eat much anymore: cheap cuts of meat, butter, loads of white potatoes… The trick is keep what’s best about the pie--the rich, hearty flavors and that fantastic crust on top--without creating a heart attack on a plate.  Easy.

Shepherd’s Pie, Made Over

Topping:
1 small head cauliflower, roughly chopped
1 russet potato, peeled and chopped
2 small parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 garlic cloves, smashed and minced
¼ cup plain yogurt
4 oz. grated cheddar cheese (optional)
Salt and black pepper to taste

In a large pot of salty water, boil the cauliflower, potato, and parsnips until soft.  Drain and mash by hand with the garlic, yogurt, and salt and pepper to taste.  Stir in cheddar cheese.  This step can be done the day before and refrigerated or can occur while you make the filling.

Filling:
Olive oil
4 oz. dried shitake mushrooms, hydrated, drained of excess water, and chopped
½ cup broccoli florets and stems, chopped
1 small yellow onion, diced
½ green bell pepper, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 tablespoons tomato paste
½ cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon minced chives
2 teaspoons smoked paprika
Salt and pepper to taste

In a large pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, pinch salt, and the smoked paprika and sauté until tender.  Stir in the broccoli, mushrooms, pepper, tomato paste, and red wine, lower to medium low heat, and cover.  Allow to stew about 10 minutes, remove from heat, and stir in chives and salt and pepper to taste.


Grease a a large pie pan or medium-sized casserole dish with a bit of olive oil.  Pour in the vegetable stew and smooth out so it’s even.  Spread the potato mixture on top, gently smoothing like a thick layer of icing over the stew.  If the potatoes are cold, cook uncovered in the oven for 20 minutes at 400°F before broiling; if everything is hot, place under the broiler and cook about 10 minutes, or until potato mixture gets browned.


Please, for the love of god, have this with a porter or stout while shouting over cheesy 80s punk music from the U.K.

Recipe test: butternut squash and caramelized onion galette

Yes, it's another recipe test from Smitten Kitchen's new cookbook, and it's another keeper.  (It's also available on her blog here). With a side salad, this makes a terrific lunch or dinner, and there is something wonderfully romantic about its rustic nature alongside mismatched glasses of a funky French white wine.  Am I getting too Anthropologie on you?

I made a couple of adjustments: I used acorn squash instead of butternut, and I also used a homemade sourdough pizza crust my husband had made and put in the freezer.  I also threw in some smoked paprika because I thought the squash needed a little something-something. So, I've included those changes to the recipe pasted below; click on the above link for the original. 

Butternut Squash and Caramelized Onion Galette

Serves 6

For a similar version of the sourdough crust, click here.

For the filling:
1 medium acorn squash
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced in half-moons
2 teaspoons salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
3/4 cup fontina cheese (about 2 1/2 ounces), grated or cut into small bits
1 1/2 teaspoons chopped fresh sage leaves

Make pizza crust following link above. 

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. cut squash in half and scoop out seeds. Lightly salt the flesh and place cut-side down on a rimmed baking sheet.  Add water to the baking sheet until it's almost full and bake for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool slightly, then peel away the skin and cut into bite-sized pieces.

While squash is cooking, melt olive oil in a heavy skillet and cook onion over medium-low heat with the one teaspoon of the salt.  Stir occasionally and cook until golden brown, about 20 minutes. Stir in cayenne.

Raise the oven temperature to 400 degrees. Mix squash, caramelized onions, smoked paprika, and herbs together in a bowl.

On a floured work surface, roll the dough out into a 12-inch round. Transfer to a pizza tray or baking sheet lined in parchment paper. Spread squash, onions, and herb mixture over the dough, leaving a 1 1/2-inch border. Fold the border over the squash, onion and cheese mixture, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open. Sprinkle cheese on top, hitting some of the folded-over crust.

Bake until golden brown, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from the oven, let stand for 5 minutes, then slide the galette onto a serving plate. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

Chick Peas rule!

They're smooth and potato-y, packed with protein, high in fiber, and low in fat. The canned variety are OK, but I like to cook a big batch of chick peas in my pressure cooker and use them in salads, soups, and for impromptu hummus when friends drop in.  Here's another thing I found to do with them, a sort of smoother, Italian-flavored version of hummus, which stands in well for polenta or any other starch alongside fish or meat.

Chick Pea Puree with Basil

2 cups cooked chick peas
1 garlic clove, peeled
1 large handful fresh basil
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Salt and black pepper to taste

Whir all ingredients together in a blender or food processor and season to taste. This will keep for a week in the refrigerator, though I don't recommend freezing--the texture gets weird.

Serve in place of polenta as a healthier side or under meats and fish.  Can also be stirred into hot cooked pasta as a sauce along with some fresh diced tomato.  OR, you can use it as the base of a soup--just add vegetable stock until you get a consistency you like, then toss in leftover vegetables and cooked rice or pasta.