Farro Risotto With Asparagus And Fava Beans Recipes

FARRO WITH VIDALIA ONION AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• While the onions cook, add the farro to the boiling water along with 1 teaspoon salt. Boil until tender but still very toothsome, about 20 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; drain well.
• Add the farro and asparagus to the caramelized onions along with the parsley, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

FARRO SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATOES AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Spread the farro out onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until it smells nutty, about 7 minutes. Add the toasted farro to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and toss with the raisins, lemon zest and juice in a large serving bowl.
• Toss the asparagus with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove the asparagus from the oven and add the tomatoes to the baking sheet. Return to the oven and roast until the tomatoes begin to blister, about 3 minutes more.
• Toss the roasted asparagus and tomatoes with the farro along with the parsley. Top with the ricotta salata and serve.

FRESH FAVA BEAN AND SHRIMP RISOTTO

Steps:

• Prepare the fava beans, and set aside.
• Shell the shrimp and de-vein if necessary. Retain the shells. Salt the shrimp lightly, and set aside in a bowl (in the refrigerator, if you won't be making and serving the risotto right away). Rinse the shells, and combine them with five cups water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, skim off foam, reduce the heat to low and simmer partially covered for 30 minutes. Strain and add to the chicken stock or water. Taste and add enough salt to make a well-seasoned broth. Bring to a simmer in a saucepan.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a large nonstick frying pan or a large, wide saucepan. Add the onion (or leek). Cook, stirring, until it softens, three to five minutes. Add the rice and the garlic. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle.
• Stir in the wine, and cook, stirring, over medium heat. The wine should bubble but not too quickly. When it has just about evaporated, stir in a ladleful or two of the simmering stock, just enough to cover the rice. The stock should bubble slowly. Cook, stirring often, until it is almost absorbed. Add another couple of ladles of the stock. Continue to cook for 20 minutes, stirring not too fast and not too slowly, and adding more stock whenever the rice is almost dry.
• Taste a bit of the rice. It should be slightly al dente. Stir in more stock to cover, and add the favas and the shrimp. Cook, stirring, for another five to 10 minutes until the shrimp are pink and cooked through but still moist (this will depend on the size of the shrimp) and the favas are bright. Stir in the parsley and another small ladle of stock. Remove from the heat, add pepper, stir for a few seconds and serve.

RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS, FRESH FAVA BEANS AND SAFFRON

Steps:

• Prepare the fava beans. Shell them while you bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Drop the beans into the water, and boil small favas for one minute, large favas for two minutes. Transfer at once to a bowl of ice-cold water. Drain. Remove the skins, using your thumbnail to open up the skin at the spot where the bean attached to the pod, then gently squeezing out the bean.
• Pour the stock or broth into a saucepan, and bring it to a boil. Add the asparagus, and blanch for three minutes. Remove the asparagus with a slotted spoon or skimmer, refresh in a bowl of cold water, drain and set aside. Turn down the heat under the stock, and keep at a simmer with a ladle nearby or in the pot. Make sure that it is well seasoned.
• Heat the oil over medium heat in a wide, heavy skillet or saucepan, and add the onion and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring, until tender, about three minutes. Add the garlic and the rice. Cook, stirring, until the grains of rice are separate and beginning to crackle, about one to two minutes. Rub the saffron between your thumb and fingers, and stir into the rice.
• Add the wine, and stir over medium heat until it has been absorbed by the rice. Begin adding the simmering stock, two ladlefuls (about 1/2 cup) at a time. The stock should just cover the rice and should be bubbling, not too slowly nor too quickly. Cook, stirring often, until the liquid is almost absorbed. Add another ladleful or two of the stock, and continue to cook in this fashion - adding more stock when the rice is almost dry, then stirring - for 15 minutes. Then stir in the asparagus and the fava beans and another ladleful or two of stock. Continue adding stock and stirring the rice for another 10 to 15 minutes, until the rice is cooked al dente and the vegetables are tender. Add more stock to the rice, and stir in the Parmesan, pepper and chives. Remove from the heat. Taste and adjust salt. The rice should be creamy. Stir once and serve right away in wide soup bowls or on plates, spreading the risotto in a thin layer rather than lumping in a mound.

FARRO RISOTTO WITH ASPARAGUS AND FAVA BEANS

Steps:

• Soak farro in cold water for 20 minutes, drain and rinse well. Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil over medium-high heat, add farro, and simmer 20 minutes. Drain then cool by rinsing under cold water; set aside. Boil water, add asparagus and cook until it is just tender, about 3 minutes. Remove asparagus from water and place in a single layer on a large plate or baking sheet to cool. Return water to a boil and add shelled fava beans; cook until tender but not soft, about 1 minute. Drain beans and rinse under cold water until cool enough to touch. Remove the thin, pale green skin that covers each bean and discard. Place skinned beans on the plate or baking sheet with the asparagus. Heat vegetable broth in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until it comes to a simmer, then reduce heat to low so it is at a bare simmer while you prepare the risotto. Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. When it shimmers, add shallots and season with salt and black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until shallots are softened but not browned, about 2 minutes. Add cooked farro and stir to coat grains in oil; cook farro until outer coating of grain is glossy and a toasty aroma rises from the pot, about 3 minutes. Add wine and stir until it has evaporated. Add a ladleful of warm broth and cook, stirring frequently, until farro has almost completely absorbed it, about 2 minutes. Add another ladleful of broth and stir until almost all of it is absorbed. (Do not let the pan get dry-there should be a constant veil of stock over the farro at all times.) Continue adding ladlefuls of broth, stirring frequently and tasting regularly, until farro is tender but firm to the bite. The indentation in the farro grain will open and puff when completely cooked, about 15 to 20 minutes. Remove the saucepan from heat and gently fold in asparagus, fava beans, lemon zest, tarragon, parsley, and butter.

FARRO SALAD WITH PEAS, ASPARAGUS, AND FETA

Steps:

• Cook farro in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl.
• Meanwhile, cook asparagus and sugar snap peas in another saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Add to farro with tomatoes, onion, and dill. Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add dressing and feta to salad; toss to coat and serve.

FARROTTO WITH FAVA BEANS, TOMATO AND MARJORAM

Steps:

• In a bowl filled with warm water, soak farro overnight at room temperature.
• In a large, shallow pan over medium heat, add 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the butter, shallots and garlic. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon.
• Drain farro, and add to pan. When the grains are well coated with oil and butter, start adding hot water little by little, just enough to cover the farro. Stir often, and continue adding hot water if needed.
• After about 10 minutes of cooking, add the tomato. Keep stirring to prevent grains from sticking to pan. At this point the farro should be just about cooked, its texture al dente. Add fava beans; remove from heat.
• Add marjoram, cheese and remaining oil. Season with salt and pepper. Stir, and serve immediately.

FAVA BEAN AND ASPARAGUS SALAD

Steps:

• Blanch and skin the fava beans and place them in a bowl. Use the blanching water to blanch the asparagus, or steam the asparagus if you prefer. If blanching, bring the water in the pot to a boil, salt generously and add the asparagus spears. Blanch 1 to 4 minutes, depending on how thick the asparagus is; fat spears (recommended) will take up to 4 minutes, but thin ones are ready in 1 minute. You can steam the asparagus over 1 inch boiling water for the same amount of time if you prefer. Transfer the lightly cooked asparagus to a bowl of cold water, then drain and dry on paper towels. Cut into 1-inch lengths. Add to the bowl with the fava beans. Add the herbs, and the chickpeas if using.
• Combine the lemon zest and juice, vinegar, garlic or shallots, and salt to taste in a bowl. Whisk in the oil and yogurt. Toss with the favas and asparagus. Add the shaved Parmesan, toss again and serve, or allow to marinate for 30 minutes, then serve.

FARRO SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Soak farro in a large bowl of water for at least 12 hours. Drain.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the drained farro, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, then cook the farro uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue simmering until tender, about 30 more minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus, and cook uncovered until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the asparagus is cold, drain well, and chop. Set aside.
• Place farro, asparagus, tomatoes, walnuts, cranberries, parsley, and chives in a large bowl. Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over and sprinkle about 3/4 cups Parmesan cheese, then toss. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Serve at room temperature.