The Mar Vista: Farro Hot Spot

We slid into The Mar Vista’s DMs as soon as Guru Jagat gave her stamp of approval when she hosted her book release party there. The Mar Vista is the airy, chef-driven, farm-to-table restaurant that just opened off LA’s Venice Boulevard. We had the great blessing of hanging with Executive Chef Jill Davie while she whipped up one of their signature hot pots. It’s so refreshing to find a healthy spot that’s celebrating cuisine of different cultures.  

The Mar Vista so kindly shared with us the recipe for their Ethiopian Blue Tinge Farro Hot Pot.

It’s a beautiful take on an Ethiopian dish that you don’t have to eat with your hands (unless you want to, and in that case, be sure to let this bad boy cool down-- think Mordor-hot).| INGREDIENTS |¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil1 cup Leeks, diced¼ cup Ginger, minced¼ cup Garlic, minced1 cup Bragg’s Liquid Aminos 16 ounce can tomatoes, diced2 cups Shiitake Mushrooms, dried1 bunch Black Kale, torn with stalks removed 2 cups Black Rice, cooked2 cups Ethiopian Blue Tinge Farro, cooked1 bunch Broccoli Rapini, stemmed½ cup Flour½ cup Cornstarch1 Egg1 cup Sparkling Water1 teaspoon Togarashi Salt Oil, for frying (Coconut Oil, Ghee, Lard or Tallow)| ASSEMBLY |1 | Place a medium sized pot over medium-high heat. Heat the olive oil, adding in the leeks, ginger and garlic. Allow to cook until translucent. 2 | Add the amino acids and reduce by half before adding the tomatoes, vegetable broth and shiitake mushrooms. Allow the stock to simmer for 30 minutes. 3 | Add the black kale and cook for an additional two minutes. 4 | Preheat your oil of choice to 325 degrees. In a mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, togarashi. 5 | Mix together the sparkling water and egg in a different bowl. 6 | Slowly incorporate the water and egg mixture into the flour.  7 | Dredge the broccoli rapini into the batter and cautiously fry the rapini in the oil until crispy and brown. 8 | Mix together the black rice and Ethiopian farro.  9 | Divide the mix between four bowls, topping with the shiitake mushroom broth and the fried rapini.*Serves 4.