I’ve always loved breakfast foods, what makes them so great is that across all cultures the defining characteristic of breakfast dishes is that they are quick and easy enough to prepare for you to do it early in the morning. A savoury porridge in particular is something that I’ve been wanting to prepare a recipe for awhile. Porridge is a universal food almost all cultures have their own version based on the staple grain for their region.
In making mine I chose to focus on farro. I think that farro is an underused grain it has a nutty flavour that feels appropriate for the dish and melds well with the earthiness from the mushrooms. The cooking method is similar to a risotto, first we Sautee garlic and onion then add the farro to toast and coat in the oil before adding the broth to cook it through. The mushrooms in this dish are sauteed separately to the porridge, this is to allow them to brown and create some contrast in texture.
Like all porridge, this is a great blank canvas to which you can add the toppings of your choice. Some suggestions you could add would be bacon, sausage or poached eggs but truly the sky is the limit with this.
The time requirement for preparing this dish makes it better suited for the weekend. However, it stores well and can be kept in the fridge up to a week making it a good option to meal prep for the week ahead.
If you like this recipe consider checking out Vegan Homemade Baked Beans.
Savoury Mushroom & Farro Porridge
Ingredients
Porridge
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 shallots diced
- 2 cloves garlic crushed
- 1 cup farro
- 2 sprigs thyme
- 3 cups vegetable stock
- 2 cups baby spinach
- salt and pepper to taste
Toppings
- 250 g king oyster or shiitake mushrooms sliced
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 2 spring onions finely sliced
- fried shallots to serve
- chilli oil to serve
Instructions
- Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the shallot and cook stirring regularly for 5 minutes or until translucent.
- Stir in the garlic and cook continuing to stir for a further 2 minutes or until fragrant and starting to brown.
- Pour in the farro and thyme. Mix thoroughly to coat the grains in the oil.
- Add the stock into the pot and increase the heat to bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes or until all of the liquid has absorbed. Stir occasionally (every 10 minutes or so) to ensure the porridge doesn’t burn. Once the liquid is absorbed, remove from heat and stir in the spinach, season to taste with salt and pepper.
- While the porridge simmers, prepare your toppings. Combine tamari garlic and mushrooms in a small bowl and mix. Heat the oil over medium heat in a frying pan. Cook mushrooms in batches for 5 minutes on each side or until browned.
- Once the porridge is ready ladle out into deep bowls and top with prepared toppings.