Lemony Carrot “Farrotto” (a.k.a. Risotto)

I stumbled across this recipe in the March issues of Fitness Magazine.  I decided it sounded like one of those recipes that you order at a modern restaurant, but fail to successfully execute at home.  Boy, was I pleasantly surprised.  Before adding the lemon, the risotto was earthy and complex, but after the lemon, it was bright, balanced and flavorful.  This is definitely a keeper recipe!

Lemony Carrot Risotto Adapted from Fitness Magazine Ingredients 4 cups low sodium chicken broth (vegetable can easily be substituted) 1/2 pound carrots, shredded 1 tbsp unsalted butter 1/4 tsp ground cumin 1/4 tsp salt freshly ground black pepper 1 cup farro 1/2 cup red wine (I used red because it’s all I had, but white would work, too) 1 1/2 tsp olive oil zest and juice of 1 lemon freshly grated parmesan cheese, for serving Directions Heat broth in small saucepan over low heat, reserving 1/2 cup. Puree 3/4 of the carrots with remaining 1/2 cup broth in a food processor. Melt butter in a large, heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat until foaming.  Add cumin, remaining 1/4 of the carrots, salt and pepper, and cook a minute or two.  Add farro and cook, stirring constantly, until it starts to crackle, about two minutes.  Add wine and cook about a minute. Stir in carrot puree and bring to a simmer.  Add broth in batches, about 1/2 cup at a time, and simmer, stirring constantly until broth is absorbed.  Repeat until farro has stopped absorbing broth and is tender, the whole process should take about 25 minutes.  Stir in olive oil, lemon juice, add salt and pepper to taste.  Cover, remove from heat, and let rest for about 5 minutes.  Grate parmesan and zest lemon over each serving.