It is a principle of mine–and therefore of this blog–that the results of a recipe must align with the amount of money and/or time I sink into making it. If I spend 3+ hours in the kitchen, I’d better have produced something other-worldly– I’m talking a three-meat ragù or the mother of all first birthday cakes.

Another principle of mine: doing dishes sucks.

This farro risotto recipe by David Lebovitz caught my eye months ago, in the middle of a sweltering southern summer, when I couldn’t fathom cooking anything other than tomato salads and gazpacho. So when the temperature dipped back down into oh-God-I-hate-winter territory, I was excited to make this. Lebovitz is a legend, and his recipes are usually gold. What could possibly go wrong?

As it turns out: nearly everything. First offense: the recipe took nearly four hours start to finish. I was patting myself on the back for being in the kitchen at 5:30pm sharp, yet I didn’t sit down to eat until just after 9. Woof. Second: I haven’t done so many dishes since my last dinner party– and this for a humble risotto, which would normally require just a pot, a cutting board, and a knife.

So, despite my housemate’s pleas to the contrary, I could not in good conscience recommend to you a four-hour, all-the-dishes-in-the-kitchen risotto.

But despite the effort and the mess, the results– a wheaty, comforting dish, rich with mushrooms and smoky with bacon–were too good to leave on the cutting room floor. So I got to work, modifying the recipe to use just one Dutch oven and cutting the cooking time down to just over an hour. Now–now I have something I am thrilled to share with you.

Pared down in process, but as full-flavored as the original, I would just as happily make this for guests on the weekend (pair with a green salad and a zinfandel; follow with a cheese course or a chocolate dessert) as for myself on a weeknight. Now: your turn!

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Previously:
One year ago: Chai Rice Porridge
Two years ago: Hearty Kale Salad with Apples, Cheddar, and Almonds

And for the Australians in the crowd:
Six months ago: Mexico City Food Guide
1.5 years ago: Spring Panzanella

“Won’t the bacon leftovers go off in the fridge though?”: Oh, do I have a post for you…

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Farro Risotto with Radicchio and Bacon

Adapted from David Lebovitz’s blog, link here
Serves 6

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups (360mL) hot water
1 1/2 ounces (40g) dried mushrooms, any kind, broken into small-ish pieces (see notes following recipe)
2 cups (7oz/200g) farro (see notes following recipe)
6 strips of bacon, chopped
8 shallots, peeled and diced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
6-8 cups (200-240g) coarsely chopped radicchio, from about one small-medium head
3 tablespoons (43g) butter
1 1/3 cups (320mL) dry white wine
2 cups (6oz/180g) grated parmesan, plus more to serve
1 tablespoon thyme leaves plus 4 additional sprigs of thyme
6-8 cups (1.5-2L) chicken or vegetable stock

Instructions

Boil water. (I just microwaved the water in a big measuring cup that had enough head room for the mushrooms.) Add the dried mushrooms. Set aside.

While the mushrooms are soaking, boil a pot of water. (I like to use my Dutch oven here, because that way I can use just one pot to cook the whole meal.) Add the farro and simmer, uncovered, until the farro is slightly tender, but still undercooked–for most farro, this will take about 8-10 minutes (but see notes following recipe for further information if you’re feeling confused). Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.

Return the pot to the stove, place over medium heat. Add the chopped bacon to the pot and fry until golden and cooked through. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon and leave to drain on a paper towel-lined plate. Set aside.

If your bacon was extremely fatty, pour off some of the fat in the pan–leave just enough for sautéing. (If you live in a country where the bacon isn’t as fatty and there’s no grease left in the pan, add an extra small pat of butter now.) Now, add half of both the shallots and garlic, and all of the radicchio. Sauté over medium heat until the radicchio is wilted. Remove and set aside. (Don’t worry about some brown stuff sticking to the bottom of the pot at this point–that’s where the flavor is, and we’ll be sure to scrape it off in the next step!)

Melt about a tablespoon of butter in the pot. Add the remaining shallots, garlic, and thyme sprigs. Sauté for until softened, about 2 minutes. Then add the partially-cooked farro and the wine. Now use a wooden spoon to scrape the fond (the brown stuff) off the bottom of the pot. Then leave to simmer until wine is absorbed.

While the farro is simmering, drain the mushrooms, reserving the mushroom soaking liquid.

Once the wine absorbed, start adding stock about a cup at a time. Give it a stir, and let each cup of stock absorb before adding the next cup. Once you’ve added about 4-5 cups of the stock, add the reserved mushroom soaking liquid. Then go back to adding stock until the farro is done how you like it. (In the end, I used just over 5 cups of stock, and it took the farro 30 minutes of simmering to get to the point where it felt tender and risotto-y to me.)

When the farro is completely tender, add the mushrooms, bacon, radicchio, and chopped thyme. Stir to combine. Then add the parmesan and remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir again.

Serve on deep plates with a flurry of grated parmesan over the top.

Notes

Dried mushrooms: These guys can be expensive if you buy them at the regular grocery store. Instead, I buy a mixed bag of dried mushrooms at my local Asian grocer. A massive, has-lasted-me-three-years-running bag cost just a smidge more than a measly handful of dried porcini do at Whole Foods. (How to use the rest of the bag? Start with this soup.)

Farro: I used pearled farro. Any kind works, just as long as you cook the farro just under halfway before draining. If you buy the quick-cooking kind from Trader Joe’s, I would guess that you could even skip the first boil, and go straight to the wine + stock addition. (If you do this: let me know how it goes!) (Other farro uses here, here, and here.)

Leftovers: Unlike rice-based risotto, which reheats pretty poorly, this retains its excellent texture when reheated the next day. Just dish out a serving into a plate, drizzle over just a tiny bit of water, cover, and microwave.