RECIPE: Morel Supper with Farro and Roasted Vegetables

Anna came over for a slice of my chocolate–quince bundt cake and casually handed me a paper bag full of late‑spring Sierra morels that she and Rene had foraged. I haven’t met Rene yet, but he clearly did heroic work out there because the bag was packed. With that many morels, the direction of dinner was obvious: they were going to be the foundation of a farro‑based roast vegetable dish with plant‑based chicken folded in at the end.

This was also my first time cooking with “Just Meat” chicken, and it was a surprise in the best way. I browned it in a skillet with a little olive oil over medium‑high heat until the edges charred and crisped. The pieces stayed tender inside and the irregular shapes worked perfectly with the roasted vegetables and farro. The whole dish came together exactly the way I wanted: earthy, bright, textural, and built around the generosity of friends who show up with morels.

INGREDIENTS

Farro base (Instapot):

• 1 cup farro
• 2 cups water
• 1 quart dry-ish morels, cleaned and coarsely chopped
• 1–2 tablespoons black truffle olive oil (if you have it)

Roasted Veggies:

• 1 large head of cauliflower, broken into small florets (grocery‑store large; it barely fit my 14" Wagner skillet)
• 4–5 large carrots, peeled and cut into thick coins
• 1 large red onion, halved, cut into 3/4" wedges, then halved again
• 1 serrano chile, seeded & chopped
• 1 head garlic, peeled & coarsely chopped
• 3–5 tablespoons capers, depending on the size of the cauliflower
• Olive oil (regular or flavoried if you prefer)
• A note about EVOO: I love infused olive oils! I used garlic infused EVOO on the cauliflower and onions, a black truffle infused EVOO to dress the farro and morels, and a smoked olive wood EVOO in the dressing. Experiment with flavors that you like to bring out the different flavors.

• 1 package “Just Meat” chicken (or your preferred plant‑based chicken)

• Lemon herb salt or a mix of lemon thyme, basil, and dill
• Bragg's aminos or coco aminos, to taste (for salt)
• Pistachios, whole raw shelled, toasted and coarsely chopped

INSTRUCTIONS

Pre-heat the oven to 450°F for 10-15 minutes, then drop the oven to 400°F.

Cook the farro in the Instant Pot with 2 cups of water on the "rice" setting. When it finishes, leave it on “keep warm.” Stir in the chopped morels and 1–2 tablespoons of black truffle olive oil. Put the lid back on. The morels will soften and absorb the extra moisture from the farro, and the herbs will bloom gently in the warmth.

Roast the veggies: I used three cast iron skillets in parallel because that’s what I had in the oven already from baking bread, and cast iron gives you the kind of direct heat that really caramelizes vegetables. If you don’t have that many skillets, you can roast things serially, or use a regular sheet pan set on top of a preheated pizza stone to mimic the extra heat.

NOTE: Roast the carrots, cauliflower, and onions/garlic/chile separately. They all have different water contents and different shapes, and if you pile them together you’ll end up steaming instead of roasting.

• Skillet 1: Spread the carrots in another pan with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast at 400°F until caramelized and tender.
• Skillet 2: Red onion, chopped serrano, and a few smashed garlic cloves with olive oil and spread them in a skillet. Roast until the onions are softened and juicy with some char on the edges.
• Skillet 3: In a separate skillet, toss the cauliflower with olive oil (about 1 tablespoon is enough if you toss well).
• Halfway through roasting, add the capers to the cauliflower pan so they can toast and crisp slightly.

Toast the pistachios in the toaster oven 1–2 minutes at a time, checking frequently. You can always toast more but not less, and burned pistachios will make you very sad. Coarsely chop once cooled.

Sautée the “Just Meat” chicken in a skillet with a little olive oil over medium‑high heat. Let it brown and char on the edges, then flip and cook until heated through and still tender.

When everything is done, fold the roasted vegetables and the cooked chicken into the farro and morels in the Instapot or large mixing bowl. Add the Bragg's aminos and dried herbs. Add the pistachios and drizzle with the Meyer lemon–mustard–maple vinaigrette.

Serve warm or at room temperature. It keeps beautifully and is even better the next day with the vinaigrette:

MEYER LEMON–MUSTARD–MAPLE VINAIGRETTE

• Zest of 1 Meyer lemon (removed with a peeler)
• Juice of 2 Meyer lemons
• About 3 tablespoons maple syrup
• Olive oil (regular or flavored)
• (optional) vinegar, cook's choice if a sharper dressing is preferred

Combine everything in a wide‑mouth quart mason jar and blend with an immersion blender until fully emulsified (not to a mayo, just smooth).