Parsnip and kale hash with farro and red onion

I always enjoy cooking with new foods.  This recipe intrigued me because it called for farro and sunchokes, two ingredients I've never worked with before... so off to the store I went, and unfortunately I couldn't find sunchokes, but I did find farro, so I went ahead with making this recipe and guessed that I could substitute parsnips for sunchokes... which is why my recipe is titled Parsnip and kale hash with farro and red onion.

This is an excellent side dish - you have kale and red onion as the "fresh" ingredients to complement the starchiness of the farro and parsnip, with the meatiness of the oyster mushrooms to add the right touch!

Here's how I made it:


Start by cooking the farro according to the package directions (~20 minutes)...

...meanwhile, using a mandolin, slice the parsnips into equal thickness, add them to a separate pot of boiling water to cook...

...slice the red onions...

...sautee the red onions in the bottom of a big pot...

...add the kale to the big pot and steam it until darker green...

...slice the oyster mushrooms, remove the steamed kale/onions from heat.  Add the cooked parsnip (by now you should have removed it from heat and drained the excess!), and also add the oyster mushrooms and cooked farro, as well as seasoning. Stir to mix well...

...voila.  A fresh, hearty side dish!!!

Here's the full recipe!

Parsnip and kale hash with farro and red onion
Slightly adapted from Food & Wine magazine's recipe

Serves 10

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup farro
• 2 1/2 pounds large parsnips, peeled and cut into 2-inch pieces
• Salt
• 1 pound Tuscan kale, tough stems discarded
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil blended with 3 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 1 small red onion, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1/2 pound oyster mushrooms, halved if large
• Freshly ground pepper

Directions:

1. In a medium saucepan, cover the farro with 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil, cover and cook over low heat until the farro is tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the farro.
2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, cover the sunchokes with water and add a pinch of salt. Boil until the sunchokes are tender, 10 minutes; drain. Slice the sunchokes 1/4 inch thick.
3. Fill the large saucepan with water and bring to a boil. Add the Tuscan kale and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. Drain the kale and let cool slightly. Squeeze out any excess liquid from the kale leaves and then coarsely chop them.
4. In a small skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the blended oil. Add the red onion and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until browned, about 12 minutes.
5. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter in 2 tablespoons of the blended oil. Add the sunchokes in an even layer and cook over high heat until browned on the bottom, about 3 minutes. Turn the sunchokes, reduce the heat to moderately high and continue cooking until starting to brown, about 2 minutes. Push the sunchokes to the side of the skillet.
6. Add 1 more tablespoon of the oil and the oyster mushrooms. Season with salt and pepper and cook over moderately high heat until browned, 3 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil along with the farro, kale and onion and cook, stirring, until hot. Season with salt and pepper and serve.