How is everyone doing? I’ve been filling my extra time with baking, deep cleaning, baking, NTC workouts, cooking meals to stockpile in the freezer, baking, reading, and Hulu. I started experimenting with some muffin trials this week (results of those will be posted…eventually) and David is enjoying the side effects. I am thankful to have a hobby I enjoy so much, and as a mild introvert am probably struggling less than others with this whole isolation thing. Plus, Bernie is very happy to have her humans home so much.

For dinners I’m leaning to comfort food-baked pasta, soup, or really anything that cooks “low and slow.” This is a meal taken from Sean Brock’s Heritage cookbook, with which I have a bit of a conflicting relationship. It’s full of complicated recipes, often involving several components for one rather small dish, and ingredients I can’t always find in the Northeast. And yet…there are some true standouts. “Chicken Roasted in a Skillet,” “Cracklin Cornbread,” and this one, “Farrotto with Acorn Squash and Red Russian Kale,” which has become one of my favorite cold-weather meals. Though his title, and ingredient list, are typically insistent on specific vegetable and grain varietals, I don’t really believe in that, so I encourage you to use what you can find. My version is certainly less precise.

This is a bit of a project recipe, though not quite as involved as the original. Be prepared to take some time, mainly because the farro takes awhile to cook with this method. It’s pretty healthy, with a whole squash masquerading as the sauce, and a bunch of kale stirred in at the end. There is some butter, of course, but not enough to weigh it down, just adding a bit of richness along with the cheese. It’s fine to use cooking wine, but if you get a decent bottle of drinkable white instead, you can enjoy a glass while you cook. 🙂 The farro is pretty satisfying on its own, but if I’m feeling especially hungry I serve it with some simply cooked chicken breast on top.

Farro Risotto with Squash Puree and Kale

Recipe by Too Many Spoons

Servings

servings

Cost

Total time

hour

minutes

The order of this is important to keep it from becoming so time consuming. Put the squash in the oven first, then work on steps 4-7 while it cooks. Once you start cooking the farro down with the stock, you can complete steps 8 and 9 while it simmers. This is also a good opportunity to grate the cheese if you’re starting with a block. Don’t stress, you have enough time. Just check on the farro every few minutes and give it a good stir.

Ingredients

1 acorn squash (or small butternut)
2 Tbsp unsalted butter, divided
2 Quarts vegetable stock or broth
4 Tbsp olive oil, divided
1 1/4 cups farro
1 small white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 cup white wine
1 bunch kale
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425.
Cut the squash in half horizontally, remove the seeds (save for toasting, if you want a little after-dinner snack), and place cut side up on a small baking pan or rimmed cookie sheet. Put 1/2 Tbsp butter in the cavity of each squash half, then season with a little salt and pepper. Cook for about 40 minutes, until a fork pierces the flesh very easily. Let it cool enough to touch.
Heat the vegetable stock in a saucepan over medium heat until hot but not yet simmering, then keep it warm over low heat.
Heat 2 Tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium heat, then add the farro and toast until it starts to darken and smell nutty, about 5 minutes. Spoon the farro out into a bowl.
In the same pan, over medium, heat the remaining 2 Tbsp olive oil. Add the onion, cooking about 5 minutes until soft and shimmering, and just barely starting to brown. Add the garlic and cook 1 more minute.
Pour the wine into the skillet, stir, and cook 2 minutes until almost all the liquid is gone. Then add the farro back to the pan.
Start adding the stock to the skillet, a cup or less at a time, stirring slowly as you do, and letting the grains absorb the liquid each time before adding more. The farro will gradually thicken, until the grains are puffed and tender, and stop absorbing the stock. This will take 50 minutes or so.
Meanwhile, remove the ribs from the kale, then cut the leaves into thin strips. Set aside to use at the end.
Pour the butter from the squash into a blender, then peel the squash and add the flesh to the blender too. Add 1 cup stock from the pot you already have on warm, then puree until smooth.
When the farro is done, turn the heat to low, then pour in the squash puree and stir well to incorporate.
Add the kale, a handful at a time, stirring to wilt the leaves.
Stir in 1/2 cup parmesan and 1 Tbsp butter, stirring until the butter melts. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then sprinkle the remaining cheese on top to serve.