Welcome to
Fresh Pickings, a podcast that takes a closer look at everyday ingredients: what makes them extraordinary and how you can incorporate them into your recipes and diet. On this episode, we aim to dispel some myths about an ancient grain:
farro. We talk to Linda Pelaccio, host of
A Taste of the Past, about this grain’s storied history. Then, our host Kat Johnson heads into the Roberta’s kitchen to get their porridge recipe, and find out why the Roberta’s chefs are so fond of farro.
Savory Spring Porridge
- 100 g Farro, cooked in salted water and cooled
- 60 g Pea Puree, room temp
- 10 g minced Shallot
- 10 g grated Fiore Sardo (can substitute Parmesan)
- 10 g Sake Lees
- 40 g Snap Peas, cut in half
- 80 g Asparagus, cut into 2-inch-long pieces
- Juice of half a Lemon
- 10 g White Balsamic Vinegar
- 10 g Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 80 g Water
- 3 g Mint, chopped
- Salt to taste
For the pea puree:
- 1 pint shelled English Peas
- 1 Tbsp Shiro Dashi
Bring a pot of salted water (it should taste like the ocean) to a boil. Have an ice bath ready nearby.
Put your peas into a pasta basket and drop into the boiling water. Allow to cook on high heat for about 5 minutes or until tender.
Transfer the pasta basket into the ice bath. Once the peas are totally cooled, transfer them to a blender and add the shiro dashi.
Blend on high until totally smooth. (You may need to add in a bit of water in order to get the peas to puree easily in the blender. It should be the consistency of a loose yogurt).
Heat a saute pan on medium high heat. Add your oil. Once it is shimmering and moves around easily in the pan, add your snap peas and asparagus.Cook about 2 minutes, stirring once or twice. You're looking for a bit of color.
Season with salt and deglaze with white balsamic vinegar. Turn down the heat a bit and add your shallots. Cook 1 minute. Add in the water, farro, sake lees, and fiore sardo.
Bring to a boil and reduce the water by about 1/3. Fold in half the pea puree and lemon juice. It should be a risotto consistency at this point, but add water or continue cooking if too dry or loose, respectively. You can also add more cheese to tighten it up as well. Fold in the mint, check for seasoning and take it to the plate.
When plating we like to create a little well in the middle of the porridge and put the other half of the pea puree in the center. Finish with more cheese and freshly ground black pepper and the garnish of your choosing!
Recipe by Jackie Carnesi
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