Risotto is something I feel moved to make about once a season — it’s delicious, everyone loves it, and when it’s made with whole grains and lots of vegetables, it’s healthy. too. But it takes FOREVER to cook. In an effort to cut down the cooking time, I recently made this farro risotto, an old favorite, with a few modifications:
In place of making a homemade vegetable stock, I used water alone.In place of slowly adding the liquid 1/2 cup at a time, I added the whole quart of water at once.In place of puréeing the roasted squash with stock, I puréed it alone.
It came together surprisingly quickly: while the farro simmered and the squash roasted, I grated the parmesan and prepped the kale. In just over an hour, the whole dish was done. To me, this is fall comfort food at its finest, best gobbled up sitting by a roaring fire, blankets wrapped around shoulders, toes tucked into slippers.
Farro Risotto Notes:
The squash can be roasted (and puréed) a day (or two or three) in advance.I find water alone to be flavorful enough here, but if you prefer stock here are two options: homemade vegetable stock | homemade chicken stock. Different grains will take different lengths of time to cook. If you use arborio rice or something similar, you may want to add the water slowly to ensure a creamy end product.Use any squash in place of the butternut. One roasted butternut squash will leave you with lots of extra purée — freeze it or make soup with it or make this risotto again.Any dark, leafy green can be substituted for the kale.If you leave out the cheese, this dish becomes vegan, and while I love the cheese, the puréed butternut squash adds a creaminess and richness. I suspect if the cheese were not there, I wouldn’t miss it.
First, minced onion and garlic sweat in a little butter, then farro enters the pan: Meanwhile, roast the butternut squash: Then purée it until it’s silky smooth: After about 45 minutes, the farro will start looking creamy: After you add some of the puréed squash to the farro, toss in a handful of slivered kale: Finally, stir in freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano: 5 from 13 reviews November 3, 2020 Update: I have simplified this recipe. View the Serious Eats recipe if you’re looking for something more like the original.
