I can't say for sure who invented farrotto, in which the grain farro is cooked in the style of risotto, but I can say that I worked for the chef who maybe invented it and definitely popularized it. That chef is Cesare Casella, one of the United States' foremost experts in Italian cuisine and Tuscan cooking in particular, and farrotto was always on the menu when I was his sous chef at his old restaurant Beppe in New York City.
Cesare was one of the original proponents of the technique when running his family's restaurant Vipore in Lucca, Italy and then, once he moved to the United States, helped make it a well-known dish here. At Beppe, the farrotto was almost always vegetarian and it changed frequently with the seasons, sometimes made with fava beans and pea purée, sometimes tomatoes and eggplant, and often, in the winter, made with butternut squash. His butternut squash version is arguably his most signature of them all, though even that changed from time to time. I know he sometimes crumbled amaretti cookies on top, but I especially loved the rendition with Tuscan kale (aka black kale and dinosaur kale), which I've recreated from memory here.
It's easy, it's filling, it's nutritious and satisfying, and it's so, so delicious. I love the simplicity of the dish—it calls for relatively few ingredients, and, aside from having to turn on the oven to roast the squash, it all happens in one pan. The farro, which is an ancient type of wheat, can take a little longer than risotto rice to cook, though the cooking time is hard to pin down because different brands of farro cook at different rates. I recommend buying pearled farro, which has some of the bran removed to speed cooking, though even then I've had different brands take different times to cook.
No matter, just keep stirring in your liquid until it gets there. One note: farro doesn't release as much starch as rice does, so it won't become quite as creamy on its own, but between the butternut squash, which breaks down into a partial-purée in the pan, and the cheese (and some good stirring), it'll end up creamy in the end.
Oh yeah, and about that creaminess: The art to all risotto-like preparations largely comes down to controlling the viscosity. You don't want it loose and watery, but you want to keep it thinner than you might imagine, since the farrotto continues to absorb water and thicken as it sits and cools, so you're always racing against time and a too-thick and stiff porridge. Keep it creamy but flowing right up until it hits the (warmed!) plates, and it'll be good to go. Remember, it should spread and flow slightly on the plate and not sit in a hill-like pile.
Preheat oven to 425°F (220°C). On a rimmed baking sheet, toss butternut squash with 2 tablespoons (30ml) olive oil and a large pinch of salt, then spread in an even layer and roast until squash is very soft and lightly browned, about 25 minutes.
In a Dutch oven or large 5-quart saucier or rondeaux, heat remaining 3 tablespoons (45ml) olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add farro and cook, stirring, until very lightly toasted and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened, about 3 minutes longer.
Add white wine and cook, stirring, until raw alcohol smell has mostly cooked off and wine has mostly evaporated. Stir in kale and a large pinch of salt, followed by 1/2 cup stock. Cook, stirring often, until stock has mostly evaporated. Continue adding stock in roughly 1/2-cup increments, allowing it to evaporate and be absorbed between additions, until farro is tender with a delicately chewy bite, about 30 minutes (cooking time can vary depending on the brand of farro and how much of its bran was removed). If you run out of stock and the farro is still too firm, continue to cook by adding additions of boiling water until farro is tender. When farro is tender, warm serving bowls in a low oven or toaster oven or by filling them with boiling water.
Stir in butternut squash, allowing it to mash into farrotto while leaving some chunks intact. Adjust consistency as needed with additional hot stock/water; you want the farrotto to flow and not be dry and thick as it will continue to thicken as time passes. Off heat, vigorously stir in cheese until farrotto is creamy and flowing (you can continue to add hot liquid in small increments throughout this process to maintain the proper consistency). Season as needed with salt.
Spoon thickened-but-flowing farrotto into warmed serving bowls and serve right away, topping with more cheese at the table.
Posts
0 Comments