Farro Salad

I use whole (not pearl or semi-pearl) farro which I buy online or in the Pacific Northwest where it is grown. There are two types of farro grain: emmer and einka. Emmer is heartier, and requires longer cooking, but is better for the digestive system. Einka is smaller, can be cooked quickly and is lighter. I've found both to be more flavorful and nutritious than pearled farro. I would use emmer farro in this recipe if this is to be a main dish, and einka in a side dish.

I liked this very much. Having no green beans, I roasted a yellow pepper on my gas stove top, peeled, chopped, added. Also a little sugar to the dressing. I thought there might be too much dressing, but it was just the right amount. I used 1 cup farro and three cups water, let it boil for about 30 minutes and turned it off. The farro absorbed most of the rest of the liquid and was just the right consistency -- didn't need to strain. Raisins might be a nice addition next time.

Prepared the recipe as is and it was wonderful. A keeper. To serve more than 2 as a light dinner consider increasing the farro, adjusting other ingredients as desired. The quality of your beans and asparagus will matter. We did not find the vinaigrette too sour at all. Letting the shallots sit in the lemon juice as directed is important - tartness is easily tempered with the balance of salt or a bit of honey.

Double farro, go light on the lemon juice or it will be too sour.

Oh, farro, so enjoyable. I make this sort of salad all the time, with the above asparagus and beans, add some thinly sliced red or yellow peppers, or shake it up and add sliced green olives, mix it with black beans and corn and red onion, the list goes on and on. It is like a little black dress, it goes with everything fancy or plain and is simply delicious, a little chewy, a little meaty and cheap and filling.

I have made a very similar Farro Salad for years. Cooked farro, tossed with a lemony vinaigrette and diced sweet onion while still warm. Cool to room temperature and add crumbled feta, diced cucumber and red or yellow peppers, halved cherry tomatoes, and a generous amount of chopped fresh dill. Chill and just before serving check the seasoning and add a bit more dressing if it seems dry. This is my most requested thing to bring potlucks and BBQs. The leftovers are great for several days.

Cook the Farro in chicken broth. It amps up the flavor. Add shaved Pecorino to the top.

I added walnuts and feta and ommitted the asparagus. red onion instead of scallion. we loved it

I am partial to Charlie Bird’s farro prep. 1c farro boiled in 1c apple cider (or juice) 2c water, 2t kosher salt and a couple bay leaves. Boil for 30-35 min and strain. I prefer this method over boiling in chicken broth for a salad recipe. The chicken broth is heavy for a salad.

This was okay but has potential to be better. The al dente farro contrasted nicely with the haricots and snow peas. I wasn’t super carful about the amounts of veg and put in too much. Steamed the asparagus but roasting would have been better. I found the basil too strong & will skip it next time. Might try celery instead of asparagus.

Snap peas are refreshing. Added more olive oil to dressing and a pinch of minced parsley. An ideal summer salad!

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Don’t mess with this recipe until you’ve tried it as written, especially the very thinly sliced raw asparagus. It’s delicious. Dice up leftovers for a wrap filling with gruyere or on avocado toast.

This is a really tasty and fresh summer salad. I cut the asparagus into quarters and then blanched those too. I blanched all veggies for 2 minutes. I found the vinaigrette to be a little sour so added about 1 tsp of honey. I had some leftover manchego so threw that on too which was really good. This salad would also go well with parmesan. I found 1 cup of farro to be enough. Do keep in mind that if you have semi pearled farro, it'll take more like 25-30 minutes to cook.