Farro, Sunchoke & Kale Hash
Serves 8-10
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| Farro, Sunchoke & Kale Hash |
Comfort food is rarely healthy or
vegetarian. This is both! It is a
soul-satisfying winter hash that combines the crispy crunch of sunchokes, silky
oyster mushrooms, meaty cremini mushrooms, tender flavorful kale and chewy
nutty farro. Perfection! It can be
served with grilled steak or on its own as the meatless main course. I have featured several recipes featuring sunchokes,
farro and kale individually. This is another but with all of them in the same
dish. How efficient! See links below for
my other suggested recipes.
SUNCHOKES:
http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2012/11/kabocha-squash-with-sunchokes-mushrooms.html
(the all time favorite featured on the Huffington Post!)
FARRO
http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2013/10/farro-salad-with-roasted-vegetables.html
http://cookingwithlarue.blogspot.com/2013/03/passover-special-pharaoh-farro-with.html
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| Semi-pearled farro |
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| Sunchoke |
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| Mmmm....leafy kale |
Sunchokes, also called Jerusalem
artichokes, are a knobby tuber that grows underground, much like a potato. The
skin is edible, they do not need to be peeled, simply scrub clean under cold
running water, with a stiff brush. They can be eaten raw or cook as you would a
potato: roast, boil, sauté, bake or steam. Unlike potatoes they contain little
starch. They have a nutty, sweet, crunchy flavor that is simply surprising and
wonderful. So don't pass these craggy little roots next time you are in the
store.
The food world has really been
buzzing lately about farro because of its health properties, its wonderful
flavor, and its texture. While the pearled farro is easier and quicker to cook,
the many nutrients vanish with the husk, along with a good bit of the flavor.
Hence, I much prefer the compromising semi-pearled farro. It is not a wheat,
but a plant and grain all its own with low gluten content. The flavor is complex with nutty taste and
undertones of oats and barley. When
cooked it remains its tender, distinct bite, even if it sits awhile after
cooking unlike Arborio rice (risotto).
- ¾ C semi-pearled farro
- Water or chicken stock for cooking farro
- 2 ½ lbs large sunchokes, scrubbed, and cut into 2-inch pieces
- Kosher salt
- 1 lb Kale, green, tough stems discarded
- 4 Tb extra virgin olive oil blended with 4 Tb vegetable oil
- 1 small red onion, sliced ¼-inch thick
- 1 Tb unsalted butter
- ¼ lb – ½ lb oyster mushrooms, halved if large
- ¼ lb cremini mushrooms, wiped clean with damp cloth, halved if large (if only ¼ oyster mushrooms are used)
- Freshly ground pepper
Soak farro in water to cover for 25 minutes. Drain, place in a medium
saucepan and cover with 2 inches of water
or chicken stock. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat until farro
is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the
farro.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan,
cover the sunchokes with water and
add a large pinch of salt. Boil
until the sunchokes are tender, about 10 minutes; drain. Slice the sunchokes
¼-inch thick.
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| Sliced sunchokes |
Fill the large saucepan with water
and bring to a boil. Add the kale and cook until just tender, about
3 minutes. Drain the kale and let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid
from the kale leaves and then
coarsely chop them.
In a small skillet, heat 2 Tb of the blended oil. Add the red onion and a pinch of salt and cook
over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12
minutes. The recipe can be made to this point one day in advance. Refrigerate components separately.
In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter in 2 Tb blended oil. Add the sunchokes in an even layer and cook over
high heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the sunchokes,
reduce the heat to moderately high and continue cooking until starting to
brown, about 2 minutes. Push the sunchokes to the side of the skillet.
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| Browned sunchokes |
Add 3 Tb of the oil and the oyster
and cremini mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately
high heat until browned, about 3 minutes. Add the final 1 Tb of oil along with the farro, kale and onion and cook,
stirring, until hot. Season with salt and pepper and serve to cheers.
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| Oyster mushrooms |
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| Mushrooms added to the sunchokes |
Bon Appetit!
Larue
adapted from Food & Wine, Jan. 2010
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