Wild Mushroom Farro Risotto

I’ve made a couple of farro recipes on this blog before and I just love it. If you haven’t tried it yet, I strongly suggest it. I really like it as a substitute for Arborio rice in risotto dishes; farro adds a nice bite to the creamy risotto that I just love.

So I was super excited when Tuscan Fields, a delicious brand of organic farro, gave me and 49 other bloggers the opportunity to not only try their farro, but to create a recipe using the farro in the hopes of winning a scholarship to the Eat Write Retreat conference this year which is being held in my hometown of Philadelphia!

The nutty flavor of farro would be perfect with the earthiness of mushrooms so I decided to make a wild mushroom farro risotto with Tuscan Fields’ Farro Perlato. I added a bit of bacon to really heighten the flavor of the risotto as well.

Ingredients:

• 1 package Tuscan Fields Farro Perlato
• 2 cups beef broth
• 4 slices bacon
• 2 tablespoons butter, divided
• 2 large shallots, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• ½ teaspoon dried sage
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ cup dry white wine
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 lb assorted wild mushrooms
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
• Fresh sage and thyme, chopped, for garnish

Add the broth to a pot over medium-low heat (you just want to keep it warm).

Add bacon to a foil lined oven safe pan. Place in a non-preheated oven and set the oven to 450 degrees. Cook for 17 minutes and remove from the oven. Let drain on paper towel.

Pour the bacon fat from cooking the bacon into a sauté pan. Add 1 tablespoon butter.

Add shallots, cook for 5 minutes.

Add garlic, sage, and thyme, cook for 2 minutes.

Add farro and mix to combine. Cook for 2-3 minutes.

Add 1/2 cup white wine and cook, stirring, until mostly evaporated.

Add mushrooms to a separate pot with 1 tablespoon butter and 1 tablespoon olive oil and sauté until mushrooms give off liquid, about 10 minutes. Keep warm.

Add the broth ½ a cup at a time to the farro, stirring frequently, waiting until the broth is mostly absorbed before adding more.

Stir in the mushrooms, bacon, and parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper.

I love that farro keeps its “al dente” texture even after cooking it for a long time. The flavor of farro is a perfect complement to wild mushrooms as well. (Note: You can use dried mushrooms instead. Rehydrate them for about 20 minutes in hot water. You can use this water to add more flavor to your risotto as well.)

Tuscan Fields also has a Mushroom Farro, “Farro ai Funghi”, with dried Porcini Mushrooms, carrots, onion, parsley, and garlic that I have to try. It would be perfect for a quick weeknight dinner!