Cory Hughes of Fig & Ash shares his Thanksgiving recipes, based on the “warm, nourishing, stick-to-your-guts kind of food,” he keeps on his own holiday table.

Farro Risotto with Mushrooms and Taleggio

Ingredients

1 ½ cup farro

1 quart vegetable stock

¼  cup dried porcini or shiitake mushrooms

2 cloves of minced garlic

¼  cup vermouth

1 lb sliced mushrooms (Cremini and maiitake are great.  Fig & Ash used Fun-gal Farms mushrooms.)

2 tbsp minced fresh thyme

¼ cup parmesan reggiano grated

4 tbsp heavy cream

2 tbsp olive oil

1 Spanish onion, peeled and julienned

4 oz taleggio cheese

Instructions

In a medium pot, add the vegetable stock and dried mushrooms and bring to a boil. Kill the heat,  let sit for 30 minutes, then drain through a colander. Reserve the warm mushroom stock for cooking.

Take a Rondo or large saucepot, place on heat and add olive oil. Start to warm the olive oil and then add the minced garlic. Cook the garlic for about 30 seconds, until fragrant, and then add the onions. Cook them until tender and then add the minced thyme and stir.

Add the farro to the onions and cook on low-medium heat for 2 minutes until the farro kernels are nice and toasted. Deglaze with the vermouth. Slowly add a 2-4 ounce ladle of the mushroom stock and stir it into the farro until the grains fully soak up the liquid. Repeat the process until all the stock has been absorbed.

(Pro tip: shake the rondo or sauce pot vigorously between adding the next round stock as this will release the glutens and make a more “risotto” texture)

Taste the farro and adjust with salt or more thyme if you prefer. Once happy with the cookery of the farro, add the heavy cream and parm. Stir it in and kill the heat.

Transfer the risotto to your serving bowl and slice the taleggio lengthwise. Place the cheese on top so when your guests scoop the risotto, they get a little taleggio in each spoonful.

(Second pro tip: put a small dusting of cocoa powder from a shaker on top. Mushroom and cocoa and taleggio is delicious pairing)

RECIPE BY CORY HUGHES/PHOTOGRAPHY BY DAVE BRYCE/STYLING BY KEITH RECKER