Porcini Farro Risotto

Ingredients

• 2.5 cups porcini wild mixed dried black
• 2 cups regular farro 
• 1 cup very flat-leaf parsley roughly chopped
• 1  garlic clove minced
• 1 tsp kosher salt 
• 0.3 cup olive oil extra-virgin
• 0.5 cup onion roughly chopped
• 1 cup parmigiano-reggiano cheese grated
• 10 sprigs thyme leaves minced
• 0.3 cup butter unsalted

Equipment

• bowl
• frying pan
• sieve
• cheesecloth

Directions

1. Bring dried porcini and 8 1/2 cups water to a boil over high heat, covered.
2. Remove from heat and let sit 1 hour. Lift mushrooms from soaking liquid and chop coarsely; set liquid and mushrooms aside.
3. Meanwhile, melt butter with oil in a large cast-iron skillet over medium heat.
4. Add onion, garlic, and farro and cook, stirring, until onion is translucent and farro turns toasty brown, about 7 minutes. Stir in 1 tsp. salt.
5. Strain porcini soaking liquid through a cheesecloth-lined strainer into a bowl.
6. Pour 1 cup liquid into farro and cook, stirring, until nearly absorbed, about 5 minutes. Repeat until all liquid has been used and farro is tender, about 1 hour.
7. Stir in thyme, parsley, reserved porcini, and cheese, and cook another few minutes to meld flavors. Season with salt to taste.
8. *Find semipearled farro at amazon.com, or use regular farro: Soak 1 hour in 2 in. of water to cover, then drain and cook as directed--except add all the liquid at once (no amount of stirring will make it creamy, so save yourself the trouble).