Offering guests a sustainable and healthy fine-dining experience is the mission at Rouge Tomate in New York City, where Executive Chef Jeremy Bearman remakes classics with contemporary twists. In one version of risotto, he substitutes farro piccolo, a more petite form of the grain, for the usual Arborio rice. “Rice crops are irrigated with large quantities of water, but farro grows without irrigation, which makes it much more sustainable,” says Bearman. To cook the farro, he prepares a stock with corncobs—a part that’s usually discarded—which extends the use of this ingredient and saves on food costs. The result is Sweet Corn Farrotto infused with rich corn flavor and topped with shelling bean and corn succotash. As a bonus, whole-grain farro scores high in nutritional value.
Sweet Corn Farrotto
As risotto cooks, the starch in rice blends with stock to create creaminess. Since farro is not as starchy, Bearman purees vegetables—corn, mushrooms or cauliflower—to stir into the pot. “The starch and sugar in corn makes a silky puree that provides the same creamy texture,” he says. Alter-natively, he finely grinds dry farro to stir in and thicken the farroto.
Smart Swaps
| Instead of… | Try this… |
| Arborio rice | Farro piccolo |
| Chicken stock | Corncob stock |
| Butter and cheese for creaminess | Vegetable puree or ground farro |
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