Calabrian Vegetable Farrotto with Shrimp
When I first started experimenting with Calabrian chiles, I was more taken with their fruitiness than their spiciness…mind you, they have some kick too! I started to explore what Calabria (the region at the southern-most tip of Italy) is all about and found that some of its most coveted locales are the colorful beachside towns that dot the coast. Hence, this coastal Calabria-inspired recipe with lots of color, brightness, texture, and of course, some Calabrian chile heat that you can dial-up or down depending upon your tastes (I recommend at least 1/4 cup which provides mild heat and great flavor).
A one-up on risotto made with farro, fennel, and Calabrian chiles and finished with fresh herbs, tomatoes, and shrimp.
- 5 c. low-sodium chicken broth
- 1.5 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
- 1 medium carrot, finely chopped
- 1 medium fennel bulb (core and outer layer removed), finely chopped (reserve some fronds)
- 1.5 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 3 medium garlic cloves, minced
- 1 c. pearled or semi-pearled farro (see TIP A below), thoroughly rinsed and uncooked
- 1/4 c. finely chopped Calabrian chiles (see TIP B below, add up to 2 tbsp. additional chiles for more heat)
- 12-15 peeled and de-veined uncooked medium shrimp, tail on (about 1/2 lb.)
- 2-3 tbsp. chopped fresh Italian parsley
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1/2 c. mini heirloom or grape tomatoes, halved (optional)
- freshly ground black pepper & fennel fronds, to taste
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In a medium saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a gentle boil. Then reduce heat to low and keep hot throughout the duration of the farrotto prep.
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Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large high-sided skillet or non-stick sauté pan over medium heat. Add the finely chopped onion, carrot, fennel, and 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt (reserve remaining salt). Stir and let cook 3-4 minutes until the vegetables are slightly soft. Then add the minced garlic and let cook another 1-2 minutes.
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Add the farro to the pan and stir to coat it in the garlic, oil, and softened vegetables. Let cook 2 minutes to become lightly toasted. Then reduce heat to low and add the Calabrian chiles and 1-2 ladelfuls (approximately 1/2 cup) of the warm chicken broth. Stir until the broth is mostly absorbed by the farro. Add 1-2 more ladelfuls of the warm chicken broth to the pan and stir again (intermittently) until the broth is mostly absorbed. Repeat this process (adding just 1-2 ladelfuls of broth at a time) until the farro grains gradually split and soften and most or all of the broth is used. Allow roughly 30 minutes to complete. You should notice that each successive addition of broth takes a bit longer to absorb; however, feel free to increase the heat beneath the pan if a ladelful takes more than 4-5 minutes to absorb. With the final ladelful of broth, add the shrimp. Nestle each piece into the farrotto around the pan.
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Give the shrimp 2-3 minutes to cook on one side. Then flip them and let them cook on the other side for another 2-3 minutes. At this point, the shrimp should be all or mostly pink. Turn off the heat beneath the pan and squeeze 1/2 a lemon over the pan (being careful to collect the seeds in your hand or a sieve). Then add the chopped Italian parsley and gently stir. Let the farrotto sit for another 2-3 minutes for the shrimp to finish cooking and the lemon juice to mostly absorb. Taste for additional salt needed (add up to 3/4 teaspoon more). Serve the farrotto in individual bowls topped with the fresh halved tomatoes and a sprinkling of fennel fronds and freshly ground black pepper.
TIP A: For this recipe, it is important to use pearled or semi-pearled farro so that it cooks evenly and thoroughly via the risotto-inspired technique. Unless you've purchased farro that states "whole grain" on the package, then chances are it is pearled or semi-pearled. Pearled and semi-pearled farro are the most common varieties found in grocery stores today because they keep longer and cook faster than whole grain farro (20-25 minutes vs. 60+ minutes). "Pearling" simply means that the grains were polished to remove or partially remove the outer bran layer. Farro is unique (relative to other grains) in that its nutrients are fairly evenly distributed vs. concentrated in the bran layer. Thus, even when the farro bran is polished or partially polished away, a lot of healthy nutrients still remain.
TIP B: Calabrian chiles are red medium-heat peppers native to Italy and popular in a lot of Italian cooking. They're spicy—but also fruity—so pretty balanced heat-wise. Typically Calabrian chiles are sold finely chopped and preserved in oil near the jarred olives, peppers, and sun-dried tomatoes. When measuring the chiles for this dish, do not worry about draining away all of the oil. A couple of teaspoons of oil in the 1/4 cup measured quantity is perfect.