Setting expectations

Things you’ll find here: thoughts and musings on the overall design/writing/marketing/branding/communications complex; article links, recommendations, and reactions; informal book, television, and movie reviews and recommendations; the occasional sports reference; DIY projects; thoughts on living in Atlanta; recipes we cook; restaurants we enjoy; Yorkie and Westie goings on; travelogues; a bit of holding forth; wordplay.

Things you won’t find here: deeply personal journal entries; political rants; provocation for the sake of sounding ‘controversial;’ Tabby goings on; an understanding of calculus; rhyming. 

​Pipe down, Pharoah. This isn't for you.

The point: not everyone will find the blog entirely relevant at all times. But we hope you find it at least mildly interesting most of the time. 

As always, thanks for reading, and now here’s a recipe for farro risotto (or farotto, if you’re the kind of person who likes to do that word combination thing).

Farro risotto with cauliflower (adapted from Gourmet Today)

Ingredients:
5.5 cups chicken stock or broth
2 bay leaves
3-4 strips of lemon zest (removed with a vegetable peeler)
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup finely chopped onion
1.5 cups farro
2/3 cup white wine
1 cauliflower head, finely chopped
1 cup grated pecorino cheese
½ cup finely chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Process:
Combine stock, bay leaves, lemon zest, and lemon juice in a 3-quart saucepan and bring to a simmer. Cover and keep at a bare simmer.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a large heavy saucepan over moderate heat. Add onion and cook until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add farro and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add wine, bring to simmer, and simmer, stirring, until liquid is absorbed.

Add 1 cup simmering stock and cauliflower and cook, stirring, until it’s all absorbed. Continue cooking at a simmer and adding stock 1 cup at a time, stirring until absorbed before adding the next cup, until stock is gone (discard bay leaves and zest), farro is tender and creamy looking but still al dente, and cauliflower is tender (about 25-30 minutes).

Stir in cheese, parsley, remaining 3 tablespoons butter, salt, and pepper. 

Makes a good-sized pot that can serve 6-8 as a side or 4 as a main course (and can easily be made vegetarian subbing vegetable broth for chicken broth)