Not too deep

Hello Martin and Karen (and all yous others as well)! Don't worry, I didn't forget everyone else. I simply am directing this post towards Martin and Karen because they've moved into a new home, are experimenting in their kitchen, and like to direct themselves towards meatless dishes. Martin also recently told me that he eats a lot of cheese, so I think I have a new recipe that fits the bill for him. I mean, I'm sure this dish will be delicious for everyone else out there as well, it certainly is for me, but it seemed a shout-out was appropriate at this point in time. 

Per usual, I apologize for my absence here and for my verbosity. It's been awhile since I've written anything coherent or personal. Working 6 days a week has eaten up most of my energy and motivation to do anything once my ass hits the couch. In fact, I was so inactive, that in early-November I decided that my utter laziness was becoming a chronic problem. My solution? To pick up knitting. A "productive" hobby, or so I thought. Consequently, knitting in conjunction with lots of working and work-related travel makes little time for the kitchen and documenting. 

Anyway, kind of in-line with the busy theme, I'm about to head off to work in an hour (working on Sundays is no fun, but alas), so I want to post this recipe quickly. I will come back soon with a more comprehensive, interesting post, in the near future I hope, but who knows anymore. Here's a warm, rich, and homey casserole that's easy to make. It's also very filling and I ate so much of it so quickly that I almost didn't get a photo of the dish. So, sorry the photos are leftovers, but hey! You get the point.

Cheesy Baked Farro and Barley

makes 1 brimming 7-inch diameter deep, circular casserole dish

1 C farro, rinsed

1/4 C barley, rinsed

3 C chicken broth

1 TB olive oil

1 small white onion, diced

1 C button or portobello mushrooms*

3 C spinach and baby kale

Splash of marsala wine

4 oz sun-dried tomatoes, roughly chopped

2 C grated cheese**

1/2 C panko bread crumbs

4 TB unsalted butter

1/4 C all-purpose flour

2 C milk

salt and pepper

*If you really can't stand the vegetarian-ness of the dish, feel free to use some form of meat here

**For the cheeses, I used a blend of Parmsan, Asiago, Fontina, Mozzarella, and mild Provolone. However, Asiago is kind of stinky so maybe next time I would forgo it for something like Cheddar. 

First prepare the grains. In a medium pot, bring the chicken broth to a boil and pour in the rinsed farro and barley. Lower heat and boil the grains for 25 minutes until tender. Drain and reserve for later.

Second, prepare the bottom layer of the casserole. In a pan, heat the olive oil until slick. Add the onion, mushrooms, spinach and baby kale, splash of marsala wine, and cook until onions are translucent and spinach and baby kale are wilted. Salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat and let cool. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Now for the roux. In a 2 quart pot on med-low heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour until there are no longer any lumps. Let the flour and butter cook for a few seconds, keeping an eye on the heat and continuously whisking to prevent burning of the flour. Add in the milk and continue whisking on low heat, until the sauce thickens. Note, do not boil this mixture. Once the roux has thickened, remove from heat and salt and pepper liberally. Then mix together the roux, 1 and 3/4 C of the grated cheese, the farro and the barley together, and once again, salt and pepper to taste.

You are now ready for assembly.  Reserve 1/4 C of the grated cheese for sprinkling on top of the casserole. Spread the vegetable-mushroom mixture on the bottom of the casserole. Sprinkle with the 4 oz. chopped sun-dried tomatoes. Layer the grain-cheese mixture over that - you might have some leftover grain-cheese-roux mixture, but shake the casserole dish around to let it all settle. Lastly, top with the remaining 1/4 C of grated cheese and breadcrumbs. Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and crusty.

Let cool and serve. Mmm, tasty.

.