Farro Salad

The Gourmandise School   of Sweets and Savories

Bridging the seasons. Sometimes you want to curl up by the fireplace and slurp a good, hot bowl of soup. Other days, you dream of long, bright days with fresh, zesty lunches and the sweet flavors that sunshine brings. And then there's pre-Spring. Here in SoCal (Cue string, East Coast readers. Try not to hate us too much), we've got this lovely purgatory of chilly mornings, hot noons and early sundowns. I want my hot oatmeal in the morning and crave ripe peaches by noon. It's a cruel trick, since stone fruits are 4 months away, and pears are bowing out, so... we've got what we have had all winter. Citrus. We love citrus, for it breaks up the winter trifecta of persimmons, pears and apples (chocolate doesn't count, as it forms a year-round food group) that we rework from late October until the first sweet Apricots hail the start of summer. Meyer lemons, blood oranges, sweet limes- all are used nearly every day to make these warm and bright whole grain salads. We use farro, barley, wheat berries- you name it, try it. Send us your favorite combination of herbs, grains and citrus! Far-out Farro Salad Serves 6, warm or cold. Today or tomorrow.  1 basket small cherry tomatoes, roasted in the oven at 350 with a touch of olive oil until they burst 2 Tbsps olive oil   1 cup farro 1 quart vegetable stock 1 diced shallot 1 cup fresh shelling peas *, shelled 1 bunch kale or chard, stemmed and finely chopped 3 Tbsps fresh lemon juice, Meyer if possible 2 Tbsps cup olive oil 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1/2 cup fresh Feta or ricotta salt and pepper, to taste fresh herbs, finely chopped, to taste   1. Heat the olive oil in a large saucepot (we love using a Dutch oven) and cook the shallots for 3-4 minutes.  2. Deglaze the pan with the stock and add the farro and a large pinch of salt. Bring to a simmer, turn the heat down, covering the pot and cooking the grains for 30 minutes. 3. While the farro is cooking, make your dressing by whisking together the lemon juice and mustard in a large bowl. Slowly add the olive oil. Toss your kale in the dressing. 4. Add the warm farro (drained if necessary) to the dressing and toss. Add in your peas, if cooked separately and the tomatoes. 5. Serve with fresh feta or ricotta and herbs, to taste. * The shelling pea season is still new, and some of them are a little bitter. If they feel tough and not too tender, add the peas when deglazing the pan with the stock and cook with the farro. Wishing you a delicious day,  Clémence and Hadley