The other night I had a date night with myself. I put on a new vintage dress, poured myself a glass of wine and made this delicious little dinner just for me! Then, I took a bubble bath and read for two hours. It was glorious. Next time, I might even buy myself some flowers. That would really be the icing on the cake.
I chose to make farro risotto because it’s a dish I’ve now had at two great restaurants in the area and something I’ve been itching to recreate at home. Farro simply is another one of those grains we always hear about. It’s super good for you and has an almost “wheat berry-ish” feel to it.
And….when you use farro instead of the traditional arborio rice to make risotto, you’re left with chewy, creamy bowl of goodness. Chewy like wheat berries but creamy like risotto! I know, the best of both world, right? Perfect self date night meal.
I also added mushrooms, sweet raw corn (<—summer obsession) and goat’s milk gouda cheese because a date night isn’t a date night without those three things.
I fashioned this meal after a lovely farro dish I had at Ubuntu in June. I thought the chef was absolutely GENIUS for mixing in raw corn kernals to his farro. Since the size of the kernals and the farro are just about the same, you have a dish with a deliciously unique texture and mouth-feel. Not to mention taste! Holy moly, was this ever good. I loved the crunch of the corn, the chewiness of the farro and, of course, the cheese.
It’s always all about the cheese.
Farro Risotto with Mushrooms and Sweet Corn
serves 1
Ingredients:
1/4 cup dry farro
~1 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 shallot, minced
1 T olive oil
1 tsp butter
1 ear corn, kernels cut off
1/4 cup freshly grated goat’s milk gouda cheese (or Parmesan)
Directions:
Heat the olive oil over medium low heat in a saucepan. Add the minced shallot and cook for four minutes or so until softened. Add the farro and toss to coat each kernel with the olive oil. Raise heat to medium high and toast farro, stirring constantly, for three minutes.
Add two tablespoons chicken stock (or white wine). It should almost immediately simmer down. Add stock, 1/4th cup at a time, stirring continuously. Do not add more stock until the previous quarter cup has been absorbed into the farro. Repeat until the farro is tender (you may not use all the stock). This process will take about 30 minutes.
While the farro is cooking, heat the butter in another small pan. Once melted, add the sliced mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Saute over low heat for about 10 minutes until tender and juicy. Keep warm.
Once farro is tender and most of the stock has been absorbed, add the mushrooms. Take off the heat and stir in the raw corn kernals and cheese. Season to taste.
Time:
45 minutes
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{ 66 comments… read them below or add one }
yum! that looks delish. loving the fashion posts by the way.
Funny, its on date nights with myself that I end up making the best meals too
Perfection! I am going to do this one night next week for sure. I LOVE the self date idea!
i absolutely adore farro…i haven’t had it in a while and foresee a trip to whole foods in the near future!
Hmm.. I have never tried Farro before…now you got me super curious! This is exactly why I love food blogs…always great inspiration! xoxo from Trinidad
I have a bag of farro that I’ve been meaning to use forever! Do you have Ad Hoc at Home? There’s a recipe in there called – simply – “buttered farro.” This looks equally as tempting.
Looks Like the perfect date!
I’ve never tried farro.
Can you believe I’ve never had risotto before?! I know! And farro? Never heard of it
But this looks delicious – love mushrooms, love corn and mmm cheese!
I’m intrigued by the new grain but excited by the raw corn!!
Raw corn is where it’s at, people!
Oooh yum I love farro! I’ve never thought to use it in a risotto-type dish though – great idea! The other night I made a salad and thought “hmm.. I’ve got some corn on the cob to use up.. ” but i really didn’t want to cook it. Then I remembered how you were raving about how good raw corn was, so I just shaved it off with a knife and threw it in the salad. It was AMAZING!! So sweet and crunchy. You were definitely right about that one Jenna!
date nights with yourself are key! esp with a meal like this!
Great recipe! I need to try farro!
I always try and give myself a whole night every so often as it really helps me wind down. Also, recently have fallen madly in love with risotto so I will definitely try this out.
OveLoves
This looks so good! I’ve never tried farro before, but I love the corn addition!
I just cooked with farro for the first time recently and I loved it!! It does have a wheatberry-esque taste and texture but theres something different about it too! Another grain to add to my list of favorites for sure!
Yes, the cheese – and the mushrooms – that “meaty” texture
My goodness, what a great way to take care of yourself – bath and reading. I really need to just try that sometime…I eat dinner so late and then it’s all downhill!
Are you going to see “The Help” movie??
I’ve always wanted to try risotto, maybe I will put it on the menu next week! The real reason for my comment . . . what are you reading now? It’s been a while and book club is starting up soon, I need some books to suggest
Thanks! LOVE your blog by the way . . . read it every day!
Ohhhh rissotto is such a great dish and this it the first time I’ve seen Farro used in the blog world. I can’t eat it because of the gluten… and I remember when I found that out being like, oh I won’t have to worry about farro I’ve never seen it used before.’ Guess I was wrong, because it looks delicious. I’ll have to stick with rice though!
The farro and this sounds soooo perfect “Chewy like wheat berries but creamy like risotto!”– yes, love it!
But what I love more is the date you took yourself on. How awesome! And the blurred glass of red wine in the 1st pic, little details like that are just great!
Dinner, a vintage dress, a bubble bath, reading for two hours….it’s sort of like a dream, a memory to my before child meets fulltime work days…ahhh, I am living vicariously!
My dad would absolutely love this, he’s obsessed with farro. Also, I love the idea of getting dressed up to eat dinner solo- I feel like I should do that sometimes to make things feel more special!
That looks awesome! Perfect for a date night.
I’ve made a barley risotto but, farro sounds even better! My mom’s go-to risotto recipe is with dried porcini mushrooms and this kind of reminds me of it. Looks delicious!
Oddly, I added sweet corn to your beet, goat cheese, and quinoa dish because I needed to use the corn. It turned out nice. I am looking forward to making this dish. But I have noticed your obsession with goat cheeses in general. Would you be able to do a cheese post too? I would like to learn more about goat’s milk cheese in general.
I’ve never heard of farro risotto – but if you say it has a wheat-berryish feel to it then I am ABSOLUTELY on board! This looks incredible. And I do the same exact thing when I have nights to myself – special dinner, bubble bath, reading, maybe even a little yoga
I have had trouble finding farro…where do you buy it?
This looks AMAZING! I love farro…and mushrooms…and raw fresh corn…have to make this asap
I have never heard of farro risotto before, but this looks fabulous!
What a yummy way to prepare farro! Looks delicous Jenna.
I love risotto! I’ve never tried wheat berries, and I think I’ve only had farro once but it sounds quite yummy. I love the chew + creamy factors.
That looks amazing. Thank you for sharing. I think I will be having a date with myself very soon.
Hey there!
Whoo hoo!
Yummy-looking recipe.
I love the idea of a solo date night.
And I just scheduled myself one for Thursday, August 25th!
Thanks for the inspiration.
I love farro! I just experimented with it two ways last week.
http://www.healthgirltv.com/2011/08/farro-2-ways-savory-sweet.html
You food photos are always so gorgeous!…Oh I read a story about Ubuntu in Sunset Magazine last year and I’ve always wanted to go! Jealous.
I looove risotto, but have never had it with farro. I’m very excited to make this! P.S. The photos look lovely!
I’ve been meaning to cook something with farro! But I’m not the biggest fan of mushrooms. I like the flavor but not texture. I could cut them up really small though and I’ll be good to go! Any other vegetables you would suggest putting in?
I just died. Gorgeous! I’m SUCH a fan of farro and wheat berries, so I might need to make out with this meal.
how interesting. do you think you could use wheatberries?
I love the last photo, jenna. It’s a great shot!
Wheat berries would be an experiment but half of me says it won’t work because wheat berries actually have to be soaked then boiled to be soft. Farro doesn’t need to be soaked and is more “pasta-like”.
I’ve never had risotto, but it looks amazing! I love corn and mushrooms, and I like goat’s cheese, so this is right up my alley.
I want to jump into this dish. Yum!
I’ve never cooked with farro, but I remember a few seasons ago on Top Chef watching someone make a farro risotto… Who ever it was leave enough time to cook the farro through, but it grabbed my interest… and now you’ve just reminded me. Must give farro a try !
PS nice work making a bowl of brown stuff look pretty in a picture
Never tried farro before but that block of cheese is making me what to try it just so I can use that!
This looks delicious! I’ve never made risotto before. This looks like a good first try recipe for me!
I love farro, but it’s ridiculously pricey! Wheat berries are the next best thing.
I love cooking myself a nice dinner and spending the night in! It’s so relaxing.
This dish looks amazing but I’ve had such a hard time finding farro in grocery stores here. I’ve checked out 3 and none have it!
Two thumbs up for solo date night! That sounds like the best date ever. What have you been reading this week Jenna? I’m almost done with the latest Lisa See novel and am going to need a new book soon!
Ahh, after watching all these cooking/chef shows and seeing all these people get ripped a new one for cooking risotto, I am a little afraid to even attempt this.
But for this recipe (which looks delicious-yum)… I think I just might!
I love date night by myself! I rarely get it, so when I do I’m thrilled. This risotto looks awesome. Great recipe!
FARROTTO! I had farro cooked like risotto at a restaurant in Atlanta and have been dying to try it at home. This looks like the perfect way to make it. And having personal date nights are kind of a must every now and then!
Yum, this looks so delish! When I was visiting Napa, I did a yoga class at the Ubuntu studio. It was awesome and the restaurant looked cool too!
I love the idea of date night with myself! Your evening sounds fabulous. Wine, a bubble bath, and a good book. Yes.
This looks fabulous to me. I think it will take some convinicing to get my husband to try it but I cannot wait. Maybe I can convince him to play around of golf this weekend in order to have my own alone meal.
yum! i love that you had a self date night, what a fun idea!
yet another one of your recipes I’ll be adding to my to-make list!
Yum! This looks so good! Love anything with corn and mushrooms, what a great combo.
Jenna, This isn’t about the above recipe although it looks delish! There is a contest for Best Bay Area Blog run by the local CBS Station, KPIX, and I nominated you! Since anyone can vote, maybe you could post this link for your followers that don’t live here, or those that aren’t aware of the contest. Good luck, and keep up the great work!
http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/most-valuable-blogger-nominations/
thank you so much!!!
Oh wow! I am so making that!
omg this sounds fabulous!!
This looks great – exactly my kind of worknight food! Yum!
Sounds and looks delicious! I think a nice mixture of crimini, shiitake and oyster mushrooms would be lovely with the farro!
- Brittany
This looks amazing. I’m making this asap. It helps that I have four ears of corn waiting to be used in my fridge. Thanks for the meal inspiration!
Holy cannoli I just made this and it was SUPER delicious! I got a little nervous half way through because the farro was much more al dente than I’ve ever been comfortable with, but it actually works seamlessly with the raw sweet corn. I want to eat this every day.
What’s the deal with farro? Is it really that good for you?
Jenna,
How funny that the first recipe I click on from your recipe page is for one person – I have a blog dedicated solely to “date nights for me!” But seriously, I really like that you include recipes that you sometimes want to make for yourself on weeknights, because I think everyone at some point deserves that kind of indulgence. I love cooking farro risotto-style, and with mushrooms and gouda it must be out of this world!!
Delicious! Thanks so much for sharing! I quadrupled the recipe and it turned out well. I think I may add more broth next time to make the farro more tender.
Love your receipes… but, I made this farro today and it never got soft… grains are still crunchy and I stirred and added stock by 1/4 cups for 30+ minutes.. I also didn’t realize you cook one or 2 servings at a time; I have a family of 4 so I doubled this and the spinach fettuchini alfredo. WIth that, I wondered about adding the lemon juice at the end, b/c it seemed to make mine kind of grainy or sandy texture…
Holy cow was that good. Wife and I loved it. Ate it with a roasted chicken. Perfect.
We are 3 for 3 now with your recipes: Black Bean burgers are a staple and the chicken with the lemon and brown sugar was a hit too. What next?
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