Farrotto With Roasted Acorn Squash
By: Houseboat Eats
Published: Thursday, December 3, 2009 - 1:19am

Ingredients




6 cups to 7  unsalted homemade chicken stock, or low-sodium chicken broth
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup finely chopped shallots
5 1/2 cups farro
1/2 cup dry white wine, or sherry
2 tablespoons to 3  finely chopped sage
5 1/2 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan or Pecorino cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 or 2 acorn, or other winter squash
olive oil

1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon caraway seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
a pinch of cayenne

Preparation

1 One hour before starting, cover farro with water and soak at room temperature. Drain after one hour and reserve. 2 The squash can be roasting while you prepare the farro. Preheat oven to 400˚F. Cut the acorn squash into large wedges. In a small bowl combine all the spices. Brush the squash with olive oil and sprinkle with the spice mixture. Arrange cut side down on a baking sheet and put into the oven. Turn after about 15 minutes, and remove from the oven after about 30 minutes, once the squash is golden and tender. Let cool until easy to handle, then remove the outer skin and chop into bite sized pieces. Set aside. 3 In a saucepan, bring the broth to a boil over high heat; add a bay leaf, lower the heat and keep covered at a simmer. 4 In a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter with the olive oil over low heat. Add the shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until the shallots are translucent, about 4 minutes. Increase the heat to moderate, and cook, stirring, until the shallots are golden. Add the farro and cook, stirring constantly, for about 5 minutes, to toast slightly. 5 Add the wine and cook, stirring constantly, until the wine is absorbed by the grains, about 3 minutes. Stir in the sage and 1 cup of the broth and cook at a gentle simmer, stirring frequently, until almost all the liquid is absorbed. Continue adding the broth in this fashion, ½ to 1 cup at a time, until the farro is tender yet still firm in the center, and the risotto is creamy but not soupy (it may not require all 7 cups of broth).  This could take an hour or more depending on your farro. 6 Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the sour cream, 1/4 cup of the Parmigiano-Reggiano, and pepper to taste. Gently fold in the roasted and chopped squash. Top with remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

About


The amount of time it takes to get the farro tender will vary depending on your farro. We like to soak our farro in room temperature water for an hour or two before using it in this dish. If you are looking to shorten the actual cooking time, you could parboil the farro for 20 minutes in salted water before adding it in the following recipe. Another important thing to remember here is that you must use low sodium chicken broth, and preferably use homemade stock where you can control the salt content. If you use normal chicken stock, by the time it has all reduced away, you could be left with a salt-lick of a dish.