I saw this cheesy Farro recipe being made by Giada on Food Network and I wanted to make it right away. It looked simple to make and sounded cheesy and delicious.
It sure was cheesy but the dish was a little bland to my taste. Next time I would probably add some veggies and some more herbs to bump up the flavor. I think sauteed onions and mushrooms or sauteed spinach would be a great addition here.
Ingredients: Farro - 1cup Unsalted butter - 2tbsp All purpose Flour - 2tbsp Milk - 1cup Gruyere Cheese - ½cup, grated Fontina cheese - 2tbsp
Breadcrumbs - 3tbsp
Thyme - 1tsp, chopped Salt & Pepper - to taste
Parsley - 2tbsp, finely chopped
Method:
- Combine farro with 3cups of water. Bring to a boil, lower the heat to low, cover and cook till the farro is tender, about 25 minutes.
- In the meantime, melt butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and cook, stirring constantly, till the flour doesn't smell raw anymore, about 3~4 minutes.
- Whisk in milk and cook till the mixture thickens and is smooth without any lumps, about 5~7 minutes. Set aside to cool for a minute.
- Preheat the oven to 400°F.
- In a mixing bowl, combine all of the Gruyere cheese, 1tbsp Fontina, cooked farro and the cream sauce. Mix well and transfer into a lightly greased baking dish. Sprinkle the remaining fontina cheese and the breadcrumbs on the top, drizzle some olive oil on top. Bake for 30~40 minutes or until the top is browned and a nice crust is formed.
- Set aside for 5 minutes, sprinkle fresh chopped parsley just before serving.