Farro Risotto with Artichokes

Stumbling upon this recipe was a result of me getting stuck making the same few things with farro and wanting to try something new. So I just started googling farro and a combination of the herbs that were thriving in my garden. I stumbled upon several "farrotto" recipes. I based this idea on this recipe from Eating Well, and combined several other concepts, using what I had on hand as well. 

Farro Risotto with Artichokes

• 2 cups farro, rinsed 
• About 2 cups water
• 5 leaves of fresh sage
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 small onion,  finely chopped 
• 4 cloves finely chopped garlic
• 1 pint of cherry tomatoes halved
• 10-12 ounces frozen artichoke hearts, thawed and coarsely chopped
• ¼ cup torn fresh basil leaves, plus more to top bowls with
• ½ teaspoon coarse salt
• Freshly ground pepper, to taste
• 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
• 2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
• ½ cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest, juice of 1 lemon

1. Place farro in a big pot and cover with about 2 inches of water. Add sage. thyme, and rosemary. 
2. Bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, until the farro is tender but still firm to the bite, 20 minutes. Remove the herbs and drain.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and cook, stirring, until soft and beginning to brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the farro, tomatoes, artichokes, basil, salt, pepper and crushed red pepper.
4. Add ½ cup broth bring to a boil over medium heat and cook, stirring, until most of the broth is absorbed. Repeat with the remaining broth adding it in ½-cup increments and stirring until it's absorbed, until the farro is creamy but still has a bit of bite, about 10 minutes total. 
5. Stir in ¼ cup cheese and lemon zest, and lemon juice.
6.  Serve sprinkled  ¼ cup cheese on top, and some chopped fresh basil