Along with resolving to have more dinner parties in the new year, Shan and I have been trying to incorporate more nutritious foods in our diet with grains like farro, making this dish a perfect fit for our first dinner party of the year. The bright green spinach, hearty farro, and savoury roasted mushrooms made a great segue from our bright, crispy Asian winter slaw, to the rich, warm roast chicken on parsnip puree. Although there are a few steps to get the final product, they can be be done well in advance and are totally worth the final product, not to mention, the leftovers made a great breakfast/brunch topped with a poached egg!
Farro with Spinach & Roasted Mushrooms
Author: The Adventures of Bob & Shan
Recipe type: Side
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 4 servings
Hearty and healthy, Farro makes a great base for this wonderful dish tossed with a spinach puree, and topped with savoury roasted mushrooms.
Ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- 1 bunch (8 ounces) spinach
- Kosher salt
- ½ cup olive oil, divided, plus more for drizzling
- 2 medium shallots, peeled and halved lengthwise
- 2 garlic cloves, crushed
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons unsalted, roasted peanuts, divided
- 8 ounces shimeji mushrooms, broken apart
- 8 ounces king oyster mushroom, chopped into wedges
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, divided
Instructions
- In a large bowl of water, soak farro for 1-2 hours, which will help it cook quicker and more evenly.
- While farro is soaking, bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Once boiling, add spinach and cook briefly, about 45 seconds. Strain and transfer spinach to a large bowl of ice water, stirring the spinach until cooled. This process stops the spinach from overcooking and helps it maintain its bright green colour. Once cooled, strain spinach and squeeze to remove excess liquid.
- In a blender, add spinach, ¼ cup olive oil, and ¼ cup water, blending until smooth. Once blended, pass the puree through a fine mesh sieve and discard whatever solids don't pass through. Place puree in an airtight container and refrigerate until ready to use.
- Drain farro and add to a large pot with shallots, garlic, thyme, bay leaves, and 8 cups of water.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, cooking until farro is tender but still has chew, about 12-18 minutes. Once cooked, remove aromatics, and drain farro, and reserve until ready to use.
- Preheat oven to 425F.
- Toss mushrooms with ¼ cup of oil and spread out on a wire rack set on a pan (this helps the mushrooms brown evenly on all sides).
- Season mushrooms with salt, and roast 25-30 minutes until browned, with some crisp edges, but still soft.
- Once cooked, let mushrooms cool slightly, then toss with 1 tablespoon lemon juice, and reserve until ready to use.
- Once you're ready to serve the dish, add farro to a large pan, along with 3 tablespoons of water, reheating on medium-low heat until warmed through. Remove from heat, and mix in enough spinach puree to coat grains (you may not use all the spinach puree), add 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, and 2 tablespoons of chopped peanuts, mix together and season to taste.
- Serve farro in shallow bowls or plates, top with roasted mushrooms, drizzle with olive oil, and topped with the rest of your chopped peanuts.
