Farro and Fennel Salad
If you’re looking for something different to bring to your next BBQ or potluck, this may be just the dish you’re looking for. If you aren’t familiar with cooking Farro, this is a great intro salad. Look for “pearl” farro. This is what most stores sell and it does cook the quickest. To make this dish even easier, feel free to pick up your favorite dressing at the Farm Store and use that instead of making your own here.
1 cup pearl farro uncooked
2-3 smaller fennel bulbs sliced on the thinner side
1 small bunch of greens chopped
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 cup pitted castelvetrano olives roughly chopped
Salt and Pepper to taste
Parmesan as garnish if you’d like
In a large pot begin to boil about 3-4 cups of water. Salt the water as you would pasta water. Once the water has reached a boil add in the farro. Turn to a medium simmer and let the farro cook for 15-20 minutes. Taste to make sure it’s soft but with a little bit of chew to it, similar to al dente pasta. Drain the remaining water from the farro and set aside.
While the farro cooks, heat up the olive oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the red pepper flakes and fennel and stir. Saute, stirring occasionally for 3-5 minutes. Add in the chopped greens, season with salt and pepper and continue to saute until the greens are wilted. Add the castelvetrano olives to the vegetables and set aside.
For the dressing:
2 Tablespoons dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons red wine vinegar (or lemon juice is delicious with this too)
1 clove garlic minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
In the bottom of a large bowl add the dijon, vinegar, garlic, and oregano. While whisking slowly pour in the olive oil and whisk until thoroughly combined. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add directly to the bowl the cooked farro and vegetables. Toss to combine. Serve with shaved or shredded parmesan over the top. You can serve the salad right away slightly warm, but it also holds up perfectly to bring along to your next event.