Spring Seafood Stew With Farro
The Food & The Wine
For Spring Seafood Stew with Farro, I began with a recipe from Lidia Bastianich’s book, Lidia’s Italy. She was introduced to the classic Italian combination of farro and seafood stew in the seaside city of Trani, along the Adriatic shoreline around the heel of the boot. I took inspiration from her as well as Tuscany, where farro produced there is so prized it is honored with protected Geographical Indication status. The wine I chose to cook and drink with this dish is a Tuscan Vernaccia from a famous medieval village called San Gimignano. Located on a dramatic hilltop, the village of San Gimignano draws tourists with its historic museums and architecture. According to Vino Italiano, written by Joseph Bastianich and David Lynch, Vernaccia has been around since as far back as the thirteenth century. Vernaccia di San Gimignano was Italy’s first DOC in 1966.
The Vernaccia grape is used to produce lighter white wines with crisp acidity, floral aromas, and a bitter finish. At my local wine shop I picked up a bottle of 2009 Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano for $13. This wine is light and zesty with an intense acidity and a peppery finish. I did get the characteristic hint of bitter almond as well. I paired Fontaleoni Vernaccia di San Gimignano with my own recipe for Spring Seafood Stew with Farro. The flavor in this recipe relies heavily on the liquor from beautiful Green Lipped Mussels of New Zealand. These sustainable mussels are large, meaty and have a sweet taste of the ocean. The sweet, nutty farro pairs nicely with orange, lemon, and white wine. Herbal flavors of anise and dill are a reminder that spring is here. A splash of cream at the end balances the acidity of the dish and the wine. This recipe is broken down into two phases: cooking the farro, and cooking the seafood. In the end everything is combined into one light but nourishing stew.
Spring Seafood Stew Is Served
Spring Seafood Stew with Farro
Ingredients for cooking the farro:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove minced garlic
1 onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, diced
1 carrot, diced
1/2 fennel bulb, diced
1 cup farro
1/4 cup dry white wine
2 cups water
1 dried bay leaf
1/4 teaspoon salt
Heat the 2 tablespoons olive oil in a medium pot over medium-low heat. Add the garlic, onion, celery, carrot, and fennel and sweat for 10 minutes until tender. Pour in the farro and stir for 1 minute to coat the grains in olive oil. Pour in wine and water, making sure the grains are completely covered. Drop a bay leaf in the pot with the orange zest and salt. Bring to a simmer, cover and cook for about 30 minutes until the farro is cooked. It should be al dente with a pleasant chewiness. Add more water if needed to cook the farro completely. Once this is done, set the farro aside as you prepare the seafood.
Green Lipped Mussel
Ingredients for cooking the seafood:
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves minced garlic
1/2 pound mussels, cleaned
1/2 pound shrimp, tails on
zest of 1/2 orange
juice of 2 oranges
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup chopped dill
handful of fennel fronds
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 can of white beans
1/2 cup chopped parsley
Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the two cloves of garlic and cook in the oil for 1 minute to infuse flavor. Toss in the mussels and shrimp. Top with orange zest and pour in wine, orange juice, and lemon juice. Sprinkle dill and fennel fronds over the seafood, cover and simmer for 6 minutes. Once the seafood is cooked, toss in the white beans and cooked farro. Add more water if necessary and season with salt and pepper to taste. After the stew is heated through stir in chopped parsley and add a splash of cream. Serve immediately as the farro will continue to soak up liquid while it sits.
Serves 4