Thursday, January 31, 2013

What's for Dinner? Farro Salad

What's for Dinner?
Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs 
A delicious salad using Farro.
 Farro is an ancient heirloom wheat grain.
It is sold dried and is prepared by cooking in water.
It cooks soft but a nice bite remains.
It is often used in salads and soups and can be ground
into flour and used to make pasta and bread.

If you haven't tried it, give it a try!
You are in for a healthy treat!
Tonight I am using farro in a salad along with fresh tomatoes
and fresh herbs.  I enjoy the freshness it has from using fresh
ingredients and the crunch of the sweet onions are a
real taste delight!
 The balsamic vinaigrette gives some added moistness and flavor.
I began by adding the farro, water, and salt to a saucepan
and cooking it for 30 minutes.  Don't be afraid to give it a
taste at the end to check out its bite.  You may feel you want it
a tad softer so cook it a tad longer!
My chopped tomatoes, herbs, and sweet onions are
prepped in a bowl along with the vinaigrette and are on
standby while the farro cooks.

Once the farro is cooked, drained, and cooled, I combine all the
ingredients, give it a stir...
then I pour over the vinaigrette and stir it well.

I have yet to refrigerate it overnight because I can't stay out
of it the second it is mixed!

For a light, healthy meal, this is all I need.
Eating it makes me feel like I am being SO good to my body.
Farro Salad with Tomatoes and Herbs
Courtesy of Giada De Laurentis/Food Network
Makes: 6 Servings
Ingredients:
4 cups water
10 ounces farro (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
1 pounds tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1/2 sweet onion (recommended: Walla Walla) chopped
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
1/4 cup finely chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 large garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
Freshly ground black pepper
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
Directions:
Combine the water and farro in a medium saucepan. Add 2 teaspoons of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the farro is tender, about 30 minutes. Drain well, and then transfer to a large bowl to cool.
Add the tomatoes, onion, chives, and parsley to the farro, and toss to combine.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the garlic, vinegar, salt, pepper, and olive oil. Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to coat.
The salad can be refrigerated overnight.  Bring to room temperature before serving.


This week I will be joining

Thank you for stopping by!

Fondly,
~ Karen

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