Winter Risotto with Farro and Arborio Rice

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited on a Chevy Farm-to-Table Road Trip, which was SO much fun! Chauffeured in snazzy Chevrolets, the group first went to Terrain in Glen Mills for lunch at their cafe and then went wine tasting down the road at Chaddsford Winery. (To read more about Terrain and Chaddsford Winery, visit my guest post over on Drive the District.)

All of the food was fantastic at Terrain, but I cannot stop thinking about their fabulous Farro and Arborio Risotto with sweet potato puree and autumn vegetables. So, naturally, I decided to try to make my own version! This recipe is pretty involved but it sure is worth it!

This recipe can be easily made vegan (noted below) and is vegetarian if vegetable stock is used instead of chicken stock. This recipe, however, is not gluten free because farro does contain some gluten. 

 

Ingredients:

Veggies:

• 2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
• 1 cup halved Brussels sprouts
• 3 Sweet potatoes, divided
• 2 Shallots, halved
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine to make vegan)

Risotto

• 3 cups water
• 1 cup uncooked farro
• 6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep vegetarian)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large shallot, minced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2/3 cup Arborio rice
• ½ cup white wine
• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan version)
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• Rosemary and thyme for garnish

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Peel and cube the squash and 1 sweet potato, and halve the Brussels sprouts.

 

Add the Brussels sprouts to a cookie tray and the squash, sweet potato, and halved shallots to another cookie tray. Drizzle with olive oil. Season both cookie trays with salt and pepper and ½ teaspoon fresh thyme leaves, and ¼ teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary. Toss each cookie sheet’s ingredients to combine and then spread to make one layer.

 

Add the cookie trays to the oven. Cook the Brussels sprouts tray for 15-20 minutes, then remove to cool. Continue to roast the squash mixture at another 40 minutes (1 hour total). They should be slightly browned but still maintain their shape. Set aside to cool.

 

While waiting for the vegetables to roast, add a medium sized saucepan over high heat. Add the water and farro. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Drain off any excess water (if there is any) and set aside.

 

Meanwhile, Take the two remaining sweet potatoes and prick with a fork multiple times around the whole potato.

 

Add to a microwave safe plate and microwave for 5-10 minutes, checking after 5 minutes to see if they are done. (Depending on your microwave it may take up to 10 minutes). Remove from the microwave and allow to cool slightly.  Note: if you wanted to, you could also add these sweet potatoes pricked and covered in aluminum foil to the oven with the other vegetables. They will also need about an hour to cook.

 

When cool enough to touch, cut the sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the insides into a food processor. Add 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, season with salt and pepper, and process until smooth. Set aside.

 

Add the chicken stock to a saucepan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Lower the heat and keep it warm.

 

Add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil to a large saute pan over medium heat. Add the minced shallot and garlic to the pan and cook for 3 minutes or until softened.

 

Add the Arborio rice and cook for 2 minutes, stirring.

 

Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly until mostly evaporated.

 

Add about ½ cup of the simmering stock to the pan. Stir occasionally until the stock is mostly absorbed. Repeat this process until the rice has expanded and is cooked through, but is still al dente.

 

Stir in the farro prior to adding your last bit of stock.

 

When the last of the stock is about to be absorbed, stir in the sweet potato puree and cook for an additional 3 minutes.

 

Add 2 tablespoons Parmesan and stir to combine. Gently stir in the roasted vegetables. Garnish with chopped thyme and rosemary and serve.

 

So yeah, very labor intensive, I know. But its SO GOOD. I never thought to combine Farro and Arborio rice in a risotto before but the textures are great together!

 

This is comfort food at its finest. I love risotto because it works great as a side or as the main dish. Plus it reheats so well, so you can make a huge batch (like this) and eat it for days!

 

 

And honestly, if this seems like too much work, go treat yourself to lunch or dinner at Terrain and leave the cooking to them. You won’t be disappointed 🙂

 

Here are some photos from our lovely day in the ‘burbs!