Crispy Farro Cakes Recipes

CRISPY FARRO CAKES

Steps:

• Place water, farro, and salt in a large pot. Stir in thyme, onion, and garlic. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer until farro is very tender, 40 to 45 minutes. Drain well for about 10 minutes (do not rinse). Remove sprigs of thyme.
• Transfer farro to a large bowl. While farro is still hot, add bell pepper, black pepper, grated cheese, egg, and cayenne pepper. Mix thoroughly; lightly tamp down. Allow mixture to come to room temperature. Cover with plastic wrap; refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, about 1 hour.
• Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat. Pack an ice cream scoop with farro mixture and turn out onto hot skillet. (Because there are no binders like flour or breadcrumbs, the cakes are almost impossible to form with your hands.) Gently press down farro cakes to slightly flatten them. After a minute or so when cakes are frying nicely, reduce heat to medium. Continue cooking the first side until you can see the bottom turning brown and a thick crust forming, 4 to 5 minutes. Do not flip until a crisp brown crust has formed.
• Flip cakes and continue frying over medium heat until second side forms a crispy crust, 4 or 5 minutes.

CREAMY FARRO WITH CRISPY MUSHROOMS AND SOUR CREAM

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add half the leeks and half the mushrooms, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the mushrooms are browned and crisped, 12 to 15 minutes. (They will start giving off moisture and steaming a little before this happens, so be patient.)
• Using a slotted spoon, transfer them to a medium bowl leaving any olive oil behind. (They will have absorbed the oil as they cook, and released it back as they crisp.) Add a bit more olive oil so there's another 1/4 cup or so in the pot. Cook the remaining leeks and mushrooms, adding them to the bowl with the other mushrooms.
• Without wiping the pot, add farro and season with salt and pepper. Cook over that same medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until farro is toasted on the outside (it will go from pale golden brown to a toastier golden brown), about 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth and 2 cups water; season with salt and pepper.
• Bring to a strong simmer and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer gently, stirring occasionally, until farro is fully cooked and most (but not all) of the liquid has been absorbed, 20 to 25 minutes. It should still look a bit loose, like risotto or a porridge. Remove from heat and add half the chives.
• Toss dill, remaining chives and lemon zest together in a small bowl. To serve, season farro with salt and pepper and ladle into bowls. Top with sour cream, mushrooms and leeks, and dill mixture. Serve lemon wedges alongside for squeezing.