Risotto-Style Farro with Cauliflower and Runny Egg

 

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Oh, anticipation…

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Farro is a grain similar to barley, but a larger and chewier–I like it better than most other “grains” like bulghur, barley, rice, and quinoa due to its more substantial texture. This was my first experiment in preparing farro, which I did similarly to risotto in that broth was added bit by bit until it was fully absorbed.

This dish is, according to the original author, inspired by a Moroccan porridge called herbel, which is sweet as it uses cinnamon and milk.

The dish below is definitely savory and a perfect light lunch.

Risotto-Style Farro with Cauliflower and Runny Egg
Serves four

Adapted from Food and Wine

5 tablespoons unsalted butter or Earth Balance

4 scallions, sliced (a kitchen scissor is a great tool for this)

8 ounces uncooked farro

Salt and pepper to taste

1 quart vegetable stock

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

3 cups 1-inch cauliflower florets

1 tablespoon sherry or red wine vinegar (I did not have sherry)

4-8 large eggs (one or two per person, your choice)

1 tablespon white vinegar

In a large nonstick saucepan, melt 3 tablespoons of butter. Add the sliced scallions and cook on medium heat until softened (2 minutes). Add the farro, season with salt and pepper (omit salt if using high-sodium broth) and cook the farro in the butter/scallion mixture for 1 minute (to toast it). Add the broth, half-cup by half-cup, slowly, allowing the farro to absorb it all before adding the next aliquot of broth; stir frequently but not constantly. This will take about 30 minutes. Remove from heat.

In a large skillet, heat olive oil and then add cauliflower; season with salt and pepper. Cook over high heat until tender and browned in spots (about 5 minutes). Add the cauliflower to the farro mixture and toss, as well as the vinegar and the remaining butter. Divvy into four bowls.

Poach the eggs: Crack the eggs into small bowls. Bring a shallow pan of water to a rolling boil. Add white vinegar to the water; vinegar keeps the egg whites from spreading too much. Add each egg into the pan carefully and cook for three minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, and place directly on top of the farro in each bowl. Garnish with fresh scallions.

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This was pretty easy to make and very satisfying. I used the 10-minute farro, which may have changed the texture of the resulting product; I think risotto is supposed to be creamier. I would like to try cooking regular farro and see if there is a difference. The red wine vinegar cuts through the buttery farro and rich egg yolk, and the sweetness of the browned cauliflower offsets the savory scallions.

I really love eggs with a runny yolk… something about them, it just tastes like the elixir of life (which, it kind of is). This meal is super protein-packed and a great post-workout dish. The dish is vegan besides the egg, and can stand up without the egg if necessary.

If I make this again, though, I’ll definitely add some more veggies such as broccoli and/or peas for color and flavor.

Chickpea Flatbread

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Light, satisfying, full of protein and extremely easy to make! Just chickpea/garbanzo bean flour, water, a little olive oil and seasonings.

Chickpea Flatbread

Adapted from The Nutrition Twins

2 1/2 cups chickpea flour

3 1/2 cups flour

2 tablespoons olive oil

sprinkle of garlic powder

sprinkle of dried rosemary

pinch of salt and peppa

Put chickpea flour in a bowl, and whisk in the water. Add oil, mix, and spices and whisk until there are no lumps.

Let sit for at least 3 hours or overnight.

Oil a rimmed baking sheet and preheat the oven to 350°F. Pour the batter into the pan to make one 1/4 inch thick layer, and carefully place in oven.

Bake for at least 30 minutes, maybe more depending on the size of your pan and desired golden brownness. You can broil for a few minutes to get a crispier top too!

Let cool and slice up.

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These were yummy, although I think baking a bit longer would have been a good idea. Definitely a win with using rosemary and garlic. These can be eaten as bread for a sandwich or spread with guacamole. If you’re feeling snackish, I would suggest eating warm or warming these up in the toaster (convection oven).

My dad actually ate hummus on top of his flatbread. Chickpea overload!

Cacao Nib Cookies …with browned butter, sea salt, and dark chocolate

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Easy as… cookie.

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Crunchy edges and outside; chewy and tender cookie.  Texture, nailed.

Browned butter, a mix of brown sugar and raw sugar, crunchy sea salt and both cacao nibs and 90% dark chocolate (yes, 90%)?  Taste, delectable.

Cacao nibs are crunchy and their bitterness complements the caramel/molasses flavor of the browned butter and sugars. Plus, we’re about 30% over the necessary 60%-minimum for dark chocolate–I think I can justify the stick of butter with the oodles of antioxidants.

Because butter is just so good.

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A perfect Mother’s Day treat… that my father also enjoyed (he ate four).

Cacao Nib Cookies

Adapted from The Food Yenta

1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of sugar in the raw
1/3 cup of light brown sugar
1 egg
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup of whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 cup dark chocolate chips or chunks (I used 90%… if you’re a dark chocolate aficionado, this totally worked; feel free to substitute)
1/4 cup cacao nibs
sea salt, for sprinkling

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone mat. In a small saucepan, melt the butter and brown it (check out this post for some visuals and instructions… or just Google it). Carefully watch it; butter might take a while to brown but once it does it’s almost instantaneous and will definitely burn if not removed from the flame right away. (Uh… this didn’t happen or anything)
In a bowl, combine the sugars and add browned butter and combine. Add egg and vanilla extract; mix. Sift in the flour and baking powder and combined. Fold in the cacao nibs and chocolate. Dollop cookie dough onto prepared baking sheet by the tablespoonful. Be careful, these things will spread, so leave ample room (at least 2 inches, depending on the volume of dough you drop). Sprinkle some sea salt on each cookie. Bake for 8-12 minutes (depending on size of cookies), let cool on a wire rack, and savor every delicious bite. I got about 13 cookies but I made mine kind of large.

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These were so good and relatively easy after the browning of the butter was done (which you really don’t have to do, but it gives such a nice flavor). Perhaps next time I might add some roasted, chopped pecans… I feel like they would go really well with the brown sugar. Mmm. Now I want another cookie.

Maple-Candied Walnuts & Almonds with Coconut

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While I am at work [short story: I work at the library here on campus; I process ILLs, check out books, help patrons with research questions, and occasionally help decorate display cases or do other odd jobs],  sometimes my boss and I will talk about the current news in the field of nutrition, like the Paleo diet and gluten sensitivity and the like. We exchange recipe ideas and she gave me this one, out of a book called The Candy Counter. After hearing rave reviews from my boss, I decided to make it too!

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Coincidentally, my friend Sarah asked me to bake a little something for her Teen Vogue party just a few days earlier!

This recipe couldn’t have come at a better time. It’s college-kitchen friendly–and slightly addicting.

Maple-Candied Walnuts & Almonds with Coconut

Adapted from The Candy Counter, page 192

1/2 cup grade A maple syrup

1 cup raw walnuts

1 cup slivered almonds

1 cup unsweetened coconut flakes

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients in a bowl (I used a rubber/silicone nonstick bowl) and pour on a parchment-paper-lined baking sheet; spread evenly (thinly as possible, to get those delicious browned edges). Bake 15-20 minutes, until golden brown, bubbling, and the coconut is nice and toasty.

Cool completely on the tray, either placed on a wire rack or just on top of the stove. Break into pieces. Store up to 1 week.

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These went over very well at the party, and made the lounge smell wonderfully mapley and delicious. Next time I think I would sprinkle a bit of sea salt to bring out the maple flavor, and perhaps roast it a bit longer… I was seriously paranoid it was going to burn.

The flavors of the nuts and the coconut and the maple syrup just complement each other so well. Crunchy, yummy finger food. The party was a lot of fun–it was a makeup/sharpie/photo-taking extravaganza! A great end to a long, post-spring-break-week.

Many thanks to Sarah for putting the party together and to Teen Vogue for supplying the makeup, Sharpie totes, and party decorations!

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…. and now it’s time for homework.

Fudge Striped Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bites

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Little, itty bitty bite-sized morsels of peanut butter, pumpkin, and a little driz of chocolate ganache.

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Bite-sized is always the best.

Fudge-Striped Peanut Butter Pumpkin Bites

Adapted from How Sweet Eats

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
6 tablespoons creamy peanut butter, melted and cooled
1 cup loosely packed brown sugar
1/2 cup raw sugar
1/3 cup pumpkin puree
1 large egg, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 ounces dark chocolate chips
3-4 tablespoons heavy cream

Melt peanut butter and butter in a large microwaveable safe bowl, at 30 second intervals (stir in between) until melted. Yum.

In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, salt, and pumpkin pie spice until nice and combined.

To the butters, add the LOOSELY measured brown sugar (NOT packed… woops), raw sugar and combine. Next add the pumpkin puree, and egg and mix. Stir in the vanilla.

Add the dry to the wet slowly, about 1/2-1 cup of dry at a time. It’ll get super thick (and delicious).

Chill 15-20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. On a parchment-paper lined baking sheet, shape small amounts of dough into a ball and place about an inch apart (small amount = about half a tablespoon).

Bake about 8-12 minutes. (I accidentally used tightly packed brown sugar, so I added more pumpkin to even it out, which resulted in a longer baking time). Once golden brown on the bottom, remove and let cool completely.

Next, heat up the cream until it’s bubbling and steaming. Pour over chocolate chips and stir well until smooth and combined.

Drizzle or dip the cookies into the ganache. To drizzle, you may need to add more cream.

Let sit for about 30-60 minutes, so chocolate may set.

DEVOURRRRRRRR

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Yes, I trudged out into the snow to take these. Might I say, snow is not a bad backdrop! So much white light reflecting… All right, back to business.

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These little pillow-like-in-texture cookies are so delectable.

Delicious, with or without chocolate (but who doesn’t like chocolate? …except my brother). I used all-purpose flour to please the palates of those unused to the healthier, heartier taste of whole wheat flour (and to appease the throat of my bro, who says it gets itchy when he eats whole wheat… sadly) but these would definitely work with whole wheat pastry flour. They are perfect for parties (the inspiration to make them in the first place) and are just … pretty. They get a delicious crust on the bottom and are just … mmm. So good. Honestly, I couldn’t taste the pumpkin, though… Sadly. I wonder if my pumpkin pie spice needs re-filling. Pumpkin-flavor or not, these little guys were delicious.

Soft Pretzels

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I made pretzels!

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I have seen homemade pretzel recipes online, I came across this one that was just too easy not to try.

Soft Pretzels

Adapted from Sally’s Baking Addiction

1 and 1/2 cups warm water
1 packet (2 and 1/4 teaspoons) active dry yeast
1 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
4 – 4.5 cups whole wheat pastry flour (for less guilt) or use all purpose flour (for softer pretzels)
1 large egg
course sea salt for sprinkling
cinnamon + raw sugar (mix together about a teaspoon of cinnamon with 1/4 cup sugar)

Preheat oven to 425°F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Dissolve yeast in the 1 1/2 cups warm water; stir to mix for about a minute. Add the salt and sugar and mix in. Add flour 1 cup at a time, stirring in between; it will get challenging to stir. Add enough flour until dough is no longer sticky; once it fairly elastic and bounces back when poked, it’s ready for kneading.

Whisk the egg a little bit in a shallow pan; set aside.

Turn the dough out onto a floured surface; knead for 5 minutes and shape into a ball. Divide this ball into 8 pieces (first in half, then those pieces in half, then again) to get about 1/3 cups’ worth of dough.

Make ropes about 20 inches long from each dough section. First make a circle with the rope, then twist towards you and press into a pretzel shape. Once you make all your pretzels, dip each into the egg, and then transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle with sea salt or cinnamon sugar mixture.

Bake 5 minutes, then broil 5 minutes to brown the tops; watch carefully for burning.

Let cool and serve warm or at room temperature.

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Unfortunately, I forgot to broil the pretzels and instead baked them for 10 minutes. So they weren’t very brown on top.

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But they did get a lovely golden brown underneath!

And the texture, delicious.

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Both the salted and the cinnamon sugar were sooo good, especially warm. Using raw sugar for the cinnamon versions was perfect for a satisfying crunch among the bites of soft dough.

I really wish I had broiled them! They are so… unbrowned. Next time. They’re too easy and good not to try again!