MUSHROOM BISQUE w/FARRO

By BobD

Ingredients

• 1 cup Italian farro (available in health food stores, or specialty grocery stores. Wheat berries or barley can be substituted)
• 1 pound mixed shiitake mushrooms, coarsely chopped, stems reserved
• 2 pounds white mushrooms, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 yellow onion, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, with more for garnish
• 2 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup beef broth
• 1-3 cups milk
• cup of mascarpone cheese (drained yogurt, sour cream or ricotta cheese can be substituted), for garnish
• 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves, for garnish

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from events.nytimes.com

Preparation

Step 1

Soak the farro in cold water for 1 hour, drain and set aside. Place the shiitake stems in a large pot, cover with cold water, cook over medium heat for 2 hours, drain and discard stems. Return the mushroom broth to a pot over high heat and reduce until it equals about 2 cups.

In a large, ovenproof pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the onion and cook until it begins to soften, about 3 minutes. Add the chopped shiitake and white mushrooms, the salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until the mushrooms begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Add the chicken and beef broths and simmer for 10 minutes. Add 1 cup of milk and the farro, stir, partly cover and continue cooking over low heat for 1 hour, stirring often to avoid sticking.

Remove half of the soup, process to a fine puree in a food processor in batches and then combine with the unprocessed soup over low heat. Adjust the consistency of the soup with more whole milk; the soup should be thick, but not globby. Adjust the seasoning with additional salt and pepper to taste. Serve garnished with a dollop of mascarpone, several grinds of fresh pepper and a sprinkling of fresh thyme.

YIELD Six main courses, eight appetizers