Free Range Chef

Vegetable Farro

200g Farro
60g Shallots fine chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled
1 bay leaf
50g pancetta
½ carrot cut into small squares
100ml white or red wine (optional)
500ml Chicken stock
2tblsp Porcini paste
Parmesan cheese to taste

For the Vegetables
1 yellow and, 1 green courgette halved lengthways and deseeded (use 2 green in total if you can’t find yellow) Sauté till soft.
50g peas blanched
50 g Mushrooms sliced
1 baby gem lettuce, or Webb’s lettuce leaves separated
extra virgin olive oil
a good bunch of, flat-leaf parsley, chopped
a squeeze of lemon juice
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

Wash Farro.
Soak for 15 minutes in fresh cold water. Drain well
Heat a pan and fry the pancetta, once it has released some of its oil, add shallots garlic, carrot and bay leaf, cook till soft.
Add the Farro and stir through for a few minutes.
If using wine add and cook Farro on a gentle heat till wine is all gone.
Heat stock to simmering; add to Farro 1 to 2 cups at a time cooking through till all gone and testing the rice.
Add mushrooms.
When the faro is cooked add porcini paste and stir through,
Then add parmesan, peas, courgettes, and lettuce cook/warm through.
Season to taste add parsley.
To give a shine add a knob of butter.

Serve with Confit Duck