Farro Salad

There are two essential steps to a stellar farro salad. The first is cooking the farro with enough salt and aromatics so that it delicious before you combine it with the rest of the ingredients. The second is to use very good olive oil in the dressing. This farro salad, from the restaurant Charlie Bird in SoHo, hits both these marks. The chef Ryan Hardy cooks the farro in apple cider seasoned with bay leaves and plenty of salt, which renders it good enough to eat on its own. But it’s even better after he adds loads of olive oil, plus pistachio nuts and Parmesan cheese to make it even richer. Then, before serving, he folds in fresh vegetables to brighten it up: juicy tomatoes, radishes, arugula and plenty of herbs. There are many farro salads of this ilk out there. This is one of the best.

• Yield 6 servings
• Time 45 minutes
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Ingredients

• 1 cup farro
• 1 cup apple cider
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
• 2 bay leaves
• 8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 70 grams Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (1/2 cup)
• 70 grams chopped pistachio nuts (1/2 cup)
• 2 cups arugula leaves
• 1 cup parsley or basil leaves, torn
• 1 cup mint leaves
• ¾ cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced radish
• Maldon or other flaky sea salt, for finishing

Preparation

1. In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, salt, bay leaves and 2 cups water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If all the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Let farro cool, then discard bay leaves.
2. In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add farro, cheese and pistachio nuts and mix well. This salad base will keep for up to 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before serving). Just before serving, fold in arugula, herbs, tomatoes, radish and flaky salt to taste.

One-Pan Farro

From Smitten Kitchen.

Serves: 4 as a side, 2 as a hearty main

2 cups water (I find this is too much water; adjust to 1.5 cups next time)
1 cup semi-pearled farro
1/2 large onion (I usually use a white one, for mildness)
2 cloves garlic
9 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes
1 1/4 teaspoons kosher or coarse sea salt
Up to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (to taste)
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
Few basil leaves, cut into thin ribbons
Grated parmesan cheese, for serving

Place water and farro in a medium saucepan to presoak (I find just 5 to 10 minutes sufficient) while you prepare the other ingredients. Adding each ingredient to the pot as you finish preparing it, cut onion in half again, and very thinly slice it into quarter-moons. Thinly slice garlic cloves as well. Halve or quarter tomatoes. Add salt, pepper flakes (to taste) and 1 tablespoon olive oil to pan, and set a timer for 30 minutes. Bring uncovered pan (no lid necessary) up to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer, stirring occasionally. When the timer rings, the farro should be perfectly cooked (tender but with a meaty chew), seasoned and the cooking water should be almost completely absorbed. If needed, though I’ve never found it necessary, cook it for 5 additional minutes, until farro is more tender.

Transfer to a wide serving bowl. If there’s enough leftover cooking liquid to be bothersome, simply use a slotted spoon to leave the amount you wish to behind. Drizzle farro lightly with additional olive oil, scatter with basil and parmesan. Eat immediately. Repeat tomorrow.

Farro with Sausage and Apples

We bought 10-minute Farro from Trader Joe`s and tried this recipe which the boys liked.

Half a cup of TJ`s 10 Minute Farro, boiled in broth
3 sweet Italian Vegetarian sausages, sliced or crumbled
1 tbsp butter, if needed
1 cup diced onion
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 large apple, diced small
Salt and pepper, to taste
Red chili flakes, to taste.

Prepare farro by combining half a cup farro and 1 cup water or broth in a sauce pan with a lid. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to low heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand covered for 5 minutes. Drain any excess liquid. Fluff with fork and set aside.

In a large skillet over high heat, crumble sausage and stir until browned, about 5 minutes. Remove sausage and set aside, keep sausage drippings. If pan is too dry, add butter and melt. Add onion, garlic ad apple; saute until tender, about 5-6 minutes. Add farro and sausage back to skillet; season to taste with salt, pepper and chili flakes; stir until warned through, about 1-2 minutes more. Serve warm.