Mushroom Farroto

I'm making room for holiday foods and found the bag of farro in the freezer.  I decided to make an earthy version of farroto that didn't have to be a meal in itself.  This one is more like a rich rice side dish.  I had it with salmon and asparagus.  Both were on sale, but the plate looked like I had thrown a lot of money at it.  Three servings for $9 plus pantry items.  It's amazing what reading the market specials can do.

*3/4 C dry farro
1 C vegetable broth
8 oz portobello or crimini mushrooms
*1/2 C diced onion
1 Tb olive oil
*2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
*1/4 C dry white wine (optional)
*parmesan for garnish (optional)

1.  8 hours before, soak dry farro in water.  Pre-soaking will keep it from developing a hard shell when it's being toasted.

2.  Wash mushrooms and remove stems.  Slice caps thinly and chop slices into bite-sized pieces.  Place stems in a small saucepan with veggie broth and bring to a simmer.

3.  In a medium saucepan, heat oil over medium heat.  Sauté onion until softened.  Drain farro and add to the pot, stirring frequently.  When the grains start to look toasted, deglaze with the wine.  Stir until wine is cooked off or absorbed.  Lower heat to a simmer

4.  Add a ladle of broth (avoiding the stems).  Stir frequently until absorbed, 5 minutes or more.  Add mushrooms and garlic.  Ladle in some more broth, but not all of it.  The mushrooms are going to give off a lot of moisture as they cook.

5.  Once the mushrooms are cooked down, you can decide if you need the rest of the broth.  Chew on a grain or two to see if they're soft enough.  You can use this opportunity to decide how much salt and pepper the dish needs.

6.  When the farro is soft and creamy, serve hot.  Garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

Difficulty rating  :)