Cucumber Farro Risotto with Steamed Salmon
Farro is a whole wheat that is usually found dry and then cooked like a pasta. I can’t possibly explain how much I love this little grain and how often I use it as its applications are somewhat endless. If you are someone who has never tried farro, I plead with you to try it. It is so delicious. Farro has incredible flavor and texture and can be eaten cold or hot. While it is a healthy ingredient, it doesn’t taste “healthy”. When paired with something creamy, it resembles the texture and feel of risotto.
I love this dish because… 1) It’s easy to make and 2) Its individual parts can all be eaten separately so there is no waste. I like to make all components separately and then combine as I’ll keep some farro leftover to make a farro herb salad. Or I’ll keep the cucumber aspect of this dish separate and then eat as a cold cucumber salad. In fact, if you have any leftovers of this dish, you can throw it all together, salmon and all, and have a cold salmon farro cucumber salad for lunch the next day. Give this one a try and let me know what you think - I am that certain you’ll love this one. Enjoy!
Cucumber Farro Risotto with Steamed Salmon
by: Natalie Emerson
Serves: 4
INGREDIENTS: 1 cup Whole Farro 3 Large Scallions - white & light green part only finely sliced (about 22 grams sliced) 30 grams Yellow Onion, finely sliced 2 Whole English Cucumbers (or 3-4 conventional - about 850 grams whole) 3/4 cup Low Fat Sour Cream 3 Tsp Salt 1 Tsp Freshly Ground Black Pepper 2 Tsp Granulated Sugar 2 Tblsp Distilled White Vinegar - 4 - 6 ounce Salmon fillets (about 175 grams each) Canola Oil Salt & Pepper 44 individual Chives - PROCEDURE: - In a small pot, add the whole farro and cover with 1 1/2 to 2 inches of water. Bring to a simmer. Once lightly simmering, cover and simmer for 20 - 25 minutes. Once cooked, strain as you would pasta, discarding the leftover water. Put aside cooked farro (Farro is great cold or hot. Its best to keep in the refrigerator and then eat either cold or re-warm in a pot). - Cut the onion and scallions finely and put in a large bowl. Peel the cucumbers and cut in half lengthwise. With a simple kitchen teaspoon, scoop out the watery pits keeping the meaty part of the cucumber intact - It will look like a canoe. Then cut each half into three long strips. From there, cut the long strips into small pieces - They will be about double the size of a cooked farro. Once all the cucumbers are cut, wrap them in paper towels and squeeze - this will help to release the water in the cucumbers. Do this a few times until the paper towels are dry when squeezed. Add the cucumbers to the scallions and onions. Then add the sour cream, salt, pepper, sugar, and vinegar. Refrigerate the cucumber salad (This is a great recipe as a simple cold side salad on a summers day - with or without the addition of farro. It will keep well in the fridge for a couple of days). - Prepare your stove-top bamboo steamer. Cut four rectangular pieces of parchment paper that the salmon fillets can fit on. Lightly oil you fillets. Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper. Put chives on top of the parchment papers and rest your salmons on top of the chives. Steam for about 7-10 minutes each depending on your steamer until the fish is just cooked through. - To finish the “risotto”: For every serving, measure out 1 cup of Cucumber Salad, a heaping 1/2 cup of Cooked Farro, and 1/4 tsp salt. So for four servings you’ll need, 4 cups Cucumber Salad, a little over 2 cups of Cooked Farro and 1 tsp salt. Put in a pot, mix and warm just to the point where it is steaming and starts to slightly simmer. - To Plate: Add warm risotto to plate. Top with Salmon (discarding the cooked chives) and garish with a fresh chive, Enjoy!
