Farrotto with Acorn Squash and Red Russian Kale

Will surprised me with Sean Brock's new cook book, Heritage. We were looking through it and this recipe caught my eye. We even discussed where we could get Red Russian Kale from. Low and behold, the following week our CSA, Rosebank farms, had Red Russian Kale and acorn squash coming our way- talk about meant to be!

This recipe is like a risotto but with farro instead of rice (hence the name). It is creamy and delicious. It is the perfect fall "side item". You could even eat it as a main if you would like.

Sean is very specific about using the specified ingredients that he recommends. I wish I did, but I did not have the time to make the vegetable stock from scratch. I used Trader Joe's low sodium veggie stock which gave my farrotto more of an orange color.

Secondly, the farro he calls for is Anson Mills' Farro Verde. I called Anson Mills and long story short, they will not have any until March. Therefore, I bought farro from Whole Foods. The Farro Verde adds a smokey flavor that regular farro is without, but for now Whole foods farro will have to do!

I am not quite sure what this would have tasted like with the farro verde and the homemade vegetable broth but it was delicious and is something I will make again in the future!

The acorn squash are beautiful, aren't they?

Two different ways to separate the stems and ribs from the kale

The kale all prepped and ready to go in the dish

Warming the vegetable stock- Trader Joes' vegetable stock is orange in color, which gave my finished product an orange tint (unlike Sean's)

Roasted acorn squash

Pureed squash

Toasting the farro

Sautéing onions and garlic

Added the vino!

The onions, garlic and farro prior to adding the vegetable stock

Slowly adding vegetable stock bit by bit as it is absorbed by the farro

Kale, pureed squash and then butter added in

Don't forget the cheese!

finito!

Farrotto with Acorn Squash and Red Russian Kale

Ingredients

2 small acorn squash
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon white pepper
1 cup + 2 quarts of vegetable stock
1 bunch of Red Russian kale (~ 3 lbs)
1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups Anson Mills Farro Verde (not available right now, so I bought Farro from Whole Foods)
1 white onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, sliced paper thin
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese


Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Cut the squash in half. Remove and discard the seeds, and rinse the squash under cold water. Place the squash cut side up on a baking sheet. Divide 2 tablespoons of butter between the halves and sprinkle with the salt and white pepper. Roast the squash for about 35 minutes or until fork-tender.

2. While the squash is roasting, prepare the kale. Remove the stems and ribs from the leaves. Make stacks of the leaves. Roll them into cylinders and cut them into thin ribbons. Wash the kale in cold water to remove dirt/sand. Drain and dry with paper towels.

3. When the squash is done, remove it from the oven. Pour the juices from the melted butter into a container. Set aside and let the squash cool enough to handle.

4. Warm the vegetable stock in a pot over medium-high. Once warm, remove 1 cup.

5. Peel the squash. Place the pulp in a blender and add the 1 cup of stock + butter from the cavities of the roasted squash. Blend on high to a very smooth puree, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

6. Turn the stock to low heat. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

7. Heat the canola oil in a medium ovenproof skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is heated, add the farro and stir to coat with the oil. Place the skillet in the oven and toast the farro for 8 minutes (being sure to stir after 4 minutes). Transfer the farro to a bowl and set aside. Wipe the skillet clean.

8. Put the empty skillet on medium-high heat. When the skillet is hot, add 2 tablespoons of the butter and reduce the heat to medium. Add the onion and cook until translucent (about 4 minutes). Add the garlic and cook until soft (about 2 minutes). Add the wine, increase the heat to high and cook until the wine is almost evaporated (about 2-3 minutes).

9. Add the toasted farro to the pan and stir to coat. Add 1/2 cup of the warm stock, reduce the heat to medium and stir until the liquid is almost absorbed. Continue cooking, adding 1/2 cup of warm stock at a time. Be sure to continually stir to prevent scorching. Don't add the stock too quickly. Be sure to add the next batch right as prior pour is almost completely absorbed. The farro grains will expand throughout the process. This process will take about one hour. The farro will look creamy like risotto.

9. Remove the farro from the heat, add the squash puree and kale. Stir until the kale is wilted. Put the skillet back on medium heat and add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter and cheese. Stir and serve!

Enjoy!

I served this with my Chicken with 40 Cloves of Garlic (also on the blog)

Minero

Minero is Sean Brock's new Mexican eatery which opened its doors on Friday, October 3rd. Sean's obsession with tacos, which started in Nashville (while working on Husk Nashville), is what sparked him to open up Minero. He was unable to satisfy his craving for tacos when he returned to Charleston. Brock reportedly tried over 40 different types of corn just to get the homemade tortillas just right- talk about dedication! Unsurprisingly, this Mexican taqueria had a lot of hype surrounding its opening.

I'm here to discuss whether or not it lived up to all of the build-up and anticipation.

Minero, a casual Mexican Restaurant, is located on East Bay Street amongst all of the fine dining East Bay is known for. Casual is a new concept for Brock. McCradys, then Husk, now Minero- formality decreasing with each new restaurant. Although, Minero has hints of high-end here and there- its a great balance with a great atmosphere.

No reservations will be taken. The hostess tells you where to sit by table number, but you show yourself to the table.

Look inside the drawer at your table for napkins and silverware. 

We started off with the chips and salsa. As you can see, it came out from the kitchen in a well-themed Mexicanesque patterned bag. The chips were very well seasoned and delicious; there was plenty of salt, hints of lime and spices. They were unique- different than anywhere else. The salsas were each unique as well and unlike anything else we had before. The verde was familiar but so refreshing. The benne was exceptional; it started off sweet and finished with a kick. We really enjoyed the chips and salsa, and I would highly recommend them. 

We were a little disappointed in the size of the salsas, but once remembering that they cost $4, we felt that the price was justified. 

I ordered the Chilaquiles ($9) and a Taco Al Pastor ($3.50) because I couldn't leave without getting a taco.

The taco was delicious. I LOVE grilled pineapple (probably too much) so I was so excited to see this on the menu. The pork was perfectly cooked and seasoned- it had an intense smoky flavor that would be very difficult to replicate. I would order this taco again and again. 

The Chilaquiles was good, but it left 

something to be desired. There was a good amount of cheese (meaning too much in most people's book, but for me- the more cheese, the merrier Jenny!). 

The beans were cooked just right and were a good size. The chili was good, but nothing was great. The egg was slightly overcooked so it never "broke" over the dish. Overall, I would say it was a good dish, but I would rather eat it as an appetizer- I can't put a finger on it, but something was missing.

Will ordered the burrito (queso de Oaxaca, crema, hoppin john, avacado and poblano- Meat lovers, be warned, there is no meat!) and was satisfied with it. I tasted it and we both agreed, the flavors were really good. Again, it had plenty of cheese. The poblano was cooked perfectly and added a lot of flavor to the burrito. I think he burrito needed some heat! It was definitely good and we're glad we tried it but I don't know that we would order it again.

Overall, Minero was good. I will definitely be back to try more items on the menu. Did it live up to the hype? Not completely. But is it possible to live up to the hype that surrounded Minero's opening? It would be very difficult, as it was one of the most anticipated openings due to it being Brock's new restaurant- he's like a god around here in Charleston. 

You can tell how much time, effort and thought was put into the concept of this restaurant and the food and atmosphere were really good. Its definitely worth the trip. 

I was happy with our experience but I didn't leave feeling like I needed to tell everyone to drop what you're doing and head there immediately (which I am known to do). I will post an update once I make it back! Please, share with me what you ate and how you felt about it- I would love to hear everyone's favorites!

Check out how Brock decided on the name, Minero- pretty cool! 

Minero is the Spanish word for miner. Allegedly, Mexican miners called the dynamite used to excavate the ore in the mines, tacos. The dynamite was merely gunpowder wrapped in pieces of paper, which I imagine looked like what we know as a taco!