A take on traditional risotto, by replacing the arborio rice with a hearty farro and seasoning with kale, shallots and Parmesan cheese.

How ironic that we are making our 13th dinner for this series on Friday, the 13th!  Glad it was not BAD!  Tonight’s dinner included the Superfood of the week for the RSBC challenge – Kale.  I first ate Kale when I was back in Boston meeting Lenny’s family.  We had a Kale soup – it was so delicious.  Since then, I have been using Kale very often.  Kale is considered to be a highly nutritious vegetable with powerful antioxidant properties and is anti-inflammatory.   It is high in beta carotene, vitamin K, vitamin C, lutein, zeaxanthin and rich in calcium.

I found a recipe in the February issue of Bon Appetit for Melted Kale with Farro.  The recipe is a risotto take on Kale.  I did not follow the recipe exactly as I always have to try to make it personal – as well, the recipe wanted me to puree the Kale, which was not what I was looking for, baby food mixed with Farro.  So, I keep it rough!  This dish is easy as well as very flavorful – we really enjoyed it.

$ for 4 servings.

Recipe: Kale with Farro

1 1/2 cups of farro – semi pearled

1 1/2 pounds of  Kale leaves, center ribs and stems removed

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons finely chopped shallots

3 cups water

1 cup cooking water

1/4 cup parmesan cheese grated

Bring a large saucepan of salted water to boil.  Cook the farro until tender but still firm to the bite, about 13 minutes.  Drain farro and cool.  Reserve about 1 cup of the cooking water.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat;  add the shallots and saute until soft, about 3 minutes.  Add the Kale.  Increase heat to high and saute for 2 minutes.  Add  the water, broth and farro and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat and simmer until kale is tender and almost all the broth is absorbed, stirring often, about 15 minutes.  Remove from heat.  Season with salt and pepper.  Stir in cheese.  Eat.