Vegan Farro Bowl with Morels, Asparagus, and Tarragon Gremolata
Morels lend an earthy, smoky flavor to a springtime grain dish featuring fresh asparagus.
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This farro with morel mushrooms, asparagus, and paragon gremolata is a celebration of spring flavors. The season is high hunting season for morel foragers, and the distinctive-looking wild mushrooms often find their way to farmers’ markets. Dried morels offer a year-round alternative. Don’t be put off by the high price of this rubust-flavored fungi — a little goes a long way when using them. Look for semi-pearled farro, which cooks in just 20 minutes, for this recipe.
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Vegan Farro Bowl with Morel Mushrooms, Asparagus, and Tarragon Gremolata
Ingredients
- 10 oz. fresh morel mushrooms, cut crosswise into ¾-inch pieces, or ½-oz. package dried morel mushrooms
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 ¼ cups semi-pearled farro
- 3 Tbs. olive oil, divided
- 1 small onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 8 oz. cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 Tbs. chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 Tbs. chopped fresh tarragon
- 1 garlic clove, minced (1 tsp.)
- 1 tsp. grated lemon zest
- 1⁄3 cup coarsely chopped toasted hazelnuts
- 16 large asparagus, ends trimmed, cut diagonally into 1 ½-inch-long pieces
Preparation
1 If using dried morels, bring 1 cup water to boil in small saucepan. Add dried morels; cover, and remove from heat. Let stand 20 minutes. Drain, reserving soaking liquid. Coarsely chop morels.
2 Bring vegetable broth and mushroom-soaking liquid or 1 cup water to a boil in medium saucepan. Add farro, reduce heat to medium-low, and cook, uncovered, 15 to 20 minutes, or until just tender but still slightly firm to bite. Drain farro, reserving cooking liquid.
3 Heat 2 Tbs. oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté 1 minute. Add morels and cremini mushrooms, and sauté 3 to 5 minutes, or until onions are deep golden and morels begin to crisp. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set aside.
4 Stir together parsley, tarragon, garlic, and lemon zest in small bowl; set aside.
5 Heat remaining 1 Tbs. oil in small nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add hazelnuts and sauté until heated through. Set aside.
6 Bring reserved farro-cooking liquid to a boil in a large saucepan. Add asparagus, and cook 2 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Using slotted spoon, transfer asparagus to morel mixture. Add farro, ¼ cup reserved cooking liquid, and half of gremolata, and toss over medium-high heat until warmed through.
7 Spoon farro into 4 shallow bowls. Spoon reserved cooking liquid around farro, if desired. Sprinkle with hazelnuts and remaining gremolata.
Nutrition Information
- Serving Size per serving
- Calories 297
- Carbohydrate Content 40 g
- Cholesterol Content 0 mg
- Fat Content 12 g
- Fiber Content 9 g
- Protein Content 10 g
- Saturated Fat Content 1 g
- Sodium Content 109 mg
- Sugar Content 5 g