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Cooking adventures in a small, closet sized, kitchen. - I came to realize that my meals were boring and that I had been eating the same few dishes over and over again for years. It was time for a change! I now spend my free time searching for, creating and trying tasty new recipes in my closet sized kitchen.

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Asparagus and Zucchini Farro Salad

[heart_this] · Jul 14, 2008 · 48 Comments

Asparagus and Zucchini Farro Salad

I have been making basil pesto for a while, but up until recently I had only been using it for pasta. When I came across the idea of using pesto in a dish like tilapia with pesto and roasted tomatoes , it opened my mind to new possibilities. When I was at the farmers market they had big bunches of basil that I just could not pass up on. I was thinking that a whole grain salad with a pesto dressing would be a good idea. At the farmers market I also found some of the first of the locally grown zucchini and they still had some asparagus and my salad was taking form. Since the zucchini and asparagus were so fresh I decided to simply blanch them and enjoy their freshness. I like to complete my salads with beans, nuts and cheese. I was also planning on adding some fresh peas but I completely forgot. This salad was pretty easy to throw together and is was nice and fresh and summery and good! The basil pesto worked really well in the salad the lemon juice brightened everything up. I am looking forward to discovering more ways to enjoy pesto.

Asparagus and Zucchini Farro Salad

Asparagus and Zucchini Farro Salad

Prep Time: 12 hours 20 minutes Cook Time: 55 minutes Total Time: 13 hours 15 minutes Servings: 6
ingredients
  • 1 cup farro
  • 1 zucchini (thinly sliced)
  • 1 handful asparagus (cut into bite sized pieces)
  • 2 tablespoons basil pesto
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon lemon juice
  • 1/2 cup chickpeas
  • 1/4 cup walnuts (optional)
  • 1/4 cup pecorino romano (crumbled)
directions
  1. Cook the farro as directed.
  2. Blanch the zucchini and asparagus in boiling water.
  3. Mix the basil pesto, olive oil and lemon juice.
  4. Toss every thing to mix.
Similar Recipes:
Roasted Cauliflower and Red Pepper Farro Salad
Roasted Asparagus and Red Pepper Farro Salad
Mushroom and Thyme Farro Salad
Zucchini and Farro Gratin

Take a look at the No Croutons Required: Herbs roundup at Tinned Tomatoes.

Food, Main Course, Recipe, Salad, Side Dish, Vegetarian, Whole Grains

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Gloria says

    July 14, 2008 at 10:46 pm

    This look and sounds Kevin how a very delicious salad!! xGloria

    Reply
  2. VeggieGirl says

    July 14, 2008 at 11:04 pm

    Kein, you need to just open a restaurant already, haha :0) EVERYTHING you make is absolutely brilliant and so elegantly plated!!

    Reply
  3. Lisa says

    July 14, 2008 at 11:14 pm

    Thanks for this entry Kevin! I always do look forward to an entry from you. The peas would have been a nice addition, but this recipe is not at all lacking in taste or flavour. I too sometimes forget to add ingredients I mean too 🙂

    Reply
  4. Helene says

    July 14, 2008 at 11:37 pm

    Such a nice meal Kevin.

    Reply
  5. noble pig says

    July 14, 2008 at 11:53 pm

    What a great idea for a salad.

    Reply
  6. Michelle says

    July 15, 2008 at 12:39 am

    Farro? Huh? Very rarely do I need to google an ingredient, but hey, there’s always something new to learn. 🙂 Salad looks divine by the way.

    Reply
  7. maybelles parents says

    July 15, 2008 at 12:52 am

    sounds very healthy. would be great for a packed lunch

    Reply
  8. Katie says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:31 am

    I love asparagus & zucchini! That salad sounds wonderful. Great blog!

    Reply
  9. cook eat FRET says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:39 am

    that combo salad sure does look good!

    Reply
  10. Dragon says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:45 am

    So simple and yet it makes a lovely composition. Well done.

    Reply
  11. Sarah says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:54 am

    love the use of farro…we all need to be cooking and eating the more interesting stuff

    Reply
  12. [eatingclub] vancouver || js says

    July 15, 2008 at 2:04 am

    Wonderful salad. I love the combination of vegetables and grains.

    Reply
  13. Sue says

    July 15, 2008 at 2:18 am

    Hi Kevin
    I have given your blog and award. Please visit mine to claim it.
    http://wwwbacktothetable.blogspot.com/

    Reply
  14. Manggy says

    July 15, 2008 at 2:26 am

    I love how the thin zucchini is just draped so delicately under it– thanks for reminding me I need to use that bag of farro already! 🙂

    Reply
  15. Steph says

    July 15, 2008 at 2:50 am

    That salad looks amazing! You always come up with the best ideas!

    Reply
  16. Lobster Recipe says

    July 15, 2008 at 3:28 am

    Is farro something that is readily available? Can’t remember ever seeing it at the grocery store.

    Reply
  17. diva says

    July 15, 2008 at 3:41 am

    new possibilities indeed. what a lovely salad! i find my favourite place to spoon loads of pesto onto is still a thin crust stonebaked pizza…ah!

    Reply
  18. Paula says

    July 15, 2008 at 4:42 am

    Another terrific recipe! I love the composition of chick peas and zucchini together. Pecorino romano makes all things with zucchini divine! Yum!

    Reply
  19. farida says

    July 15, 2008 at 4:47 am

    I’ll admit I am not quite familiar with faro so your post made me open my eyes and go educate myself a little more about new to me mysterious ingredients:) Your salad looks and sounds delicious and packed with flavor! Nice job, as usual!

    Reply
  20. Jenny says

    July 15, 2008 at 5:18 am

    What a beautiful looking salad Kevin! Really nice!

    Reply
  21. cindy* says

    July 15, 2008 at 5:23 am

    your grain salads are always so tempting! this looks so good.

    Reply
  22. OhioMom says

    July 15, 2008 at 10:38 am

    Lovely and delicious … 🙂

    Reply
  23. Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says

    July 15, 2008 at 11:11 am

    Yay for wholegrains lol. This looks seriously good. Oh and I always seem to forget a crucial ingredient! 🙂

    Reply
  24. Kim says

    July 15, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    That salad could make a zucchini lover out of me, wonderful.

    Reply
  25. Holler says

    July 15, 2008 at 12:47 pm

    This has to be an absolute winner Kevin. Gorgeous and what a good way to use pesto!

    Reply
  26. Anonymous says

    July 15, 2008 at 12:55 pm

    This is quite the interesting combination. I like it quite a bit. And it’s certainly something Iwouldn’t have considered. So thank you for the inspiration.

    Reply
  27. Ben says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:18 pm

    That looks so delicious and so healthy! I love farmer’s markets and all their delicious goods. I need to visit them more often, though.

    Reply
  28. Dee says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:47 pm

    I love how reading about other people’s food can open your eyes. Before today, I’d never heard of farro. Now I’m going to Google it.

    It’s always a pleasure to stop by your kitchen, Kevin.

    Reply
  29. Grace says

    July 15, 2008 at 1:51 pm

    great entry! i love the colors and ingredients–you didn’t need those peas anyway. 🙂

    Reply
  30. Elra says

    July 15, 2008 at 2:33 pm

    Superb!!!!!!
    Healthy summer meal. You have lots of good idea and such a good cook Kevin….

    Reply
  31. Indigo says

    July 15, 2008 at 3:52 pm

    Mm, this looks great, especialy with the asparagus and walnuts! I really need to start making my own pesto too…

    Reply
  32. Cheryl says

    July 15, 2008 at 3:56 pm

    I have no idea what Farro is but I will investigate. It looks good tho!

    Reply
  33. Mike of Mike's Table says

    July 15, 2008 at 5:32 pm

    I’ve never had farro, but this salad looks really tasty and summery

    Reply
  34. Pam says

    July 15, 2008 at 7:55 pm

    Bookmarking this! I love grain salads!

    Reply
  35. Lina says

    July 15, 2008 at 8:26 pm

    i recently discovered farro. good stuff! your salad looks amazing.

    Reply
  36. Marjie says

    July 15, 2008 at 9:13 pm

    I love asparagus, and I’m constantly amazed at what you cook and photograph. I’ve passed an award on to you for a creative, artistic and inspirational blog. Thanks for all the ideas and inspiration you’ve given me, and so many others!

    Reply
  37. Sara says

    July 15, 2008 at 9:14 pm

    mmmm, this looks delicious! good use of zucchini…we have far too much of it in the garden at the moment!!

    Reply
  38. Bruno says

    July 15, 2008 at 10:39 pm

    Well now I know what to do with these zucchini!

    Reply
  39. My Sweet & Saucy says

    July 15, 2008 at 11:35 pm

    This salad is gorgeous looking Kevin! Wish I could taste bit too!

    Reply
  40. Kevin says

    July 16, 2008 at 12:25 am

    Lobster Recipe: It took me a bit of effort to find the farro. I ended up finding it in a small specialty import grocery store.

    Reply
  41. Mrs Ergül says

    July 16, 2008 at 12:56 am

    love the greens all over the photo! This looks good too!

    Reply
  42. Bridgett says

    July 16, 2008 at 1:53 am

    That is a beautiful salad with, as I can imagine, a wonderful flavor. I am loving all the asparagus recipes you have.

    Reply
  43. amandalouden says

    July 16, 2008 at 5:39 am

    do you make anything badly? Looks great.

    Reply
  44. amandalouden says

    July 16, 2008 at 5:41 am

    btw, another great grain salad. love it.

    Reply
  45. Deborah says

    July 16, 2008 at 9:49 pm

    I have 2 basil plants that are going crazy right now, so this would be a perfect way to use them up!

    Reply
  46. Elly says

    July 17, 2008 at 10:45 pm

    This is a gorgeous salad, Kevin, and it sounds great, too. I still haven’t tried farro, but I need to.

    Reply
  47. Astra Libris says

    July 24, 2008 at 1:53 am

    Kevin, what could be better than homemade pesto with all your gorgeous salad ingredients? 🙂 I can’t think of a single thing – I think you’ve created my dream salad! 🙂

    Reply
  48. Jeanne says

    July 25, 2008 at 2:10 pm

    Oh I love everything abotu this salad – the colours, textures and flavours! Also, it provides me with a way of using farro (which I’m never sure of what to do with!). Definitely bookmarking this one!

    Reply

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