WHITE FISH & HEALTHY FARRO MUSHROOM RISOTTO

Ok everyone, I’m presenting to you my farro mushroom risotto served with white fish! When it is plated nicely, it looks like a fancy restaurant grade dish but you can easily make it in your own kitchen. It has been one of my new favourite meals I cook at home the last several weeks. It’s healthy, nutritious, delicate and delicious! With Valentines day just around the corner and not being able to go to a restaurant due to COVID, here is something to turn up your game at home. Pair this dish with a nice chilled white wine and you’ll surely impress your special someone or whoever you are cooking for.

I appreciate a nice creamy Italian risotto. However, it requires quite some tending to get the perfect consistency and texture through consistent heat and stirring. Plus, risotto is not necessarily that nutritious but using farro, you can take it to another level.

What is Farro?

If you are not familiar with farro, it is an ancient grain that has been around for thousands of years. Farro has a similar nutritional profile to quinoa. It’s packed with fiber, protein, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. If you haven’t tried farro, it has a nutty flavor and a chewy texture. It complements salads and soups so well! It’s definitely a must have in my pantry.

Farro originated in the Fertile Crescent (now middle eastern region), where it has been found in the tombs of Egyptian kings and is said to have fed the Roman armies. Hence Italians have dined on farro for centuries.

Though we refer to farro as if it were one grain, in fact it has three species. There's farro piccolo (einkorn), farro medio (emmer), and farro grande (spelt). Emmer is what you'll find sold most often in North America.

Which farro do I buy?

Now, when purchasing farro at the supermarket, it may seem a bit confusing if you have a selection of different types of farros to choose from. There is the whole farro, which retains all the grain's nutrients as it still has the bran intact hence it is the least processed. There is the semipearled, in which the part of the bran has been removed but still contains some fiber. Or pearled, which takes the least time to cook but has no bran at all. I know this is quite confusing but don’t let this stop you from buying it as farro is actually a forgiving grain to cook with. Simply follow the directions on the package or cook until it’s al dente. It’s really up to you and your personal preference on deciding which farro you buy and what is available at your grocery store. What you really need to consider is the cooking time.

Farro is an amazing versatile grain as it also pairs wonderfully in salads and soups. It has a unique texture with earthy and nutty flavour. Definitely give this risotto a try and you’ll be cooking up farro on a regular basis!

My favourite wine pairing

My husband and I had the most amazing road trip to Tuscany, Italy last summer. While we were in San Gimignano, we did a wine tour at Montenidoli which is owned by a lady name Elisabetta Fagiuoli. It is a small unique winery which sits on Triassic soils that are over 350 million years old where sea covered the lands and left incredible richness of marine sediments. Due to the soil, they can produce Vernaccia, a rich white wine in a place like Tuscany that is known to be the mother of red wines. Incredible, isn’t it?

So, the wine that I love to pair this dish with is the Montenidoli Tradizionale Vernaccia di San Gimignano! It’s a refreshingly dry white wine that is fruity, slightly tart, yet bodied and rich.

I hope you enjoy!

-Ari Yori

WHITE FISH & HEALTHY FARRO MUSHROOM RISOTTO RECIPE

prep time: 20-25 minutes

cook time: 50 minutes

portion: 4-6 servings

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INGREDIENTS

risotto

1 cup (15g) dried porcini mushroom

4-5 cups (916-1145g) vegetable stock

1 1/3 cups (285g) dried farro (whole farro/semi-pearled/pearled; pearled farro takes the least time to cook. Read above for more info about types of farro)

1/2 large onion, finely chopped

1 pound (450g) cremini mushrooms

3 garlic cloves, pressed

1 tsp dried rosemary (2 tsp fresh rosemary)

1/2 tsp dried thyme (1 tsp fresh thyme)

1/2 cup (125g) dry white wine (eg. Chardonnay)

1/3 cup (35g) parmesan cheese, grated

handful of chopped parsley

2-3 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp butter

white fish

4-6 cod fillets (Haddock, sea bass, halibut substitute)

salt & pepper

gremolata sauce (zesty Italian herb sauce)

1 large handful of fresh parsley leaves

2 garlic cloves

zest of one lemon

half of lemon juice

1/3 cup (70g) olive oil

salt & pepper

pinch of chilli flakes (optional)

DIRECTIONS

risotto

1. Boil about 4 cups (452g) of water.

2. Place uncooked farro into a bowl and pour the hot water until it is fully submerged. Let it soak while you prepare the rest then drain and rinse just before using.

3. Place dried porcini mushroom into a separate bowl and pour 2 cups of hot water. Let it soak for about 30 minutes. Then remove mushrooms and squeeze out the excess water and roughly chop then set it aside. Make sure you do not throw out the mushroom water!

4. Combine the mushroom water and 4 cups of vegetable stock. You should have about 6 cups of stock in total. Set it aside.

5. Heat your large skillet or dutch oven pot over medium heat. Drizzle olive oil and butter. First sauté the onion until translucent then add garlic until fragrant. Add the cremini mushrooms (not ones you just soaked) and season with some salt. Mix until evenly combined and spread it over the pan. The mushrooms have a lot of water and while the they are sweating, don’t touch them by stirring until most of the water has released and evaporated.

6. Add rosemary and thyme and mix until fragrant. Add the drained farro and the soaked porcini mushroom and mix until everything is evenly combined. Cook for about 2 minutes until the farro grains separate from each other and begin to crackle.

7. Pour in the white wine and stir until it fully absorbs. Then pour 5 cups of stock (see step 4), keeping 1 cup of stock aside as a reserve. Cover and let it gently simmer for about 20-40 minutes or until the farro is tender. The cooking time will vary based on the type of farro you are using (whole, semi-pearled, or pearled) so read the package for the cooking time or cook until it reaches al dente. Make sure you stir occasionally so it doesn’t stick or burn on the pan. While your farro is cooking, prepare the gremolata sauce and your fish.

8. Add grated parmesan and more than half of the parsley and mix well. Give it a taste and season with salt and pepper. There should be a small amount of stock remaining in the pan just to moisten the grains. If the farro is submerged then raise the heat and evaporate the liquid until you just have enough. If you are not serving right away, keep it covered and bring it back to simmer just before serving. If your farro appears dry, add the reserved stock that you’ve set aside when needed.

gremolata sauce

1. in a food processor, combine parsley, garlic cloves, lemon zest, lemon juice and olive oil. Pulse several times until parsley is finely minced. Add salt and pepper to taste. Set it aside.

cod (or other white fish of your choice)

1. When your farro is almost done, you can prepare your fish. First rinse the cod and pat dry using a paper towel. Season the dry fish with salt and pepper.

2. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil on your non-stick pan over medium heat. Cook the cod with the skin side down first until crispy. Then cook on the other side.

serve

1. Place the cod over the risotto and drizzle 2-3 tbsp of the gremolata sauce. Garnish with parsley.

2. Pair it with a nicely chilled white wine! My favourite wine for this dish is the Montenidoli Tradizionale Vernaccia di San Gimignano