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I had always wanted to buy that bag of organic farro at Costco. I would pick it up and just look at it but I would always put it back. Nothing was coming to mind as to how I would use it. I love it in soups but I am usually in a salad mood this time of the year.
I read this post from Orangette. She used farro as a warm side dish with caramelized onions and feta.
I then saw this post from Epicurious. This salad was a bit closer to what I was looking for.
I had some lovely grape tomatoes, a chunk of french feta and some kalamata olives. I think you can see where I am going here…
I cooked the farro as per the instructions on the bag but added some herbs and garlic to the cooking water. Make sure you cook the farro al dente. It keeps a wonderful chewy texture and sweet flavor if you do not over cook it.
Letting it sit after being cooked in a bit of olive oil, balsamic vinegar and herbs overnight in your fridge is really the way to go.
I wanted to bulk out the salad and bit so I tossed some baby organic spinach in right before serving and poured some more olive oil over the salad.
Perfect. Just the right combination of nutty grain, sweet tomatoes, salty olives and feta and the fresh bite of spinach.
Farro, Baby Spinach, Tomato and Feta Salad
Cooking the farro
1 cup dried farro
2 cups water
1/4 tsp granulated garlic
1/4 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
Bring water to a boil and add salt, garlic and thyme.
Add farro and boil until tender but not over cooked. Al dente is just perfect for this grain. Drain water and put cooked farro into a bowl with oil, vinegar and season to taste. Let sit in your refrigerator until chilled or best yet leave it there overnight.
For the salad
1 cup halved sweet grape tomatoes
1/2 cup kalamata olives
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
5-6 cups fresh baby spinach
Toss farro with the above ingredients in a large bowl and serve. Add more balsamic or olive oil as needed and season to taste.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.
Clik here to view.
Image may be NSFW.Clik here to view.
