I have been hearing a lot about whole grains lately and I have been trying to eat them more often. One of my favorite ways to enjoy whole grains is to use them as the base of a salad. Last weekend I picked up some farro and I had to try using it to make a salad. I had some locally grown asparagus so they were a no brainer and went in. I decided to roast the asparagus to maximize its flavour and since I had the oven on anyways I tossed in some red peppers. I like to use beans in my whole grain salads and I thought that chickpeas would go well in this one. Of course I just had to add some feta. This farro salad turned out really well. I enjoyed the chewy texture of the farro. It was kind of like al dente pasta. I liked this salad so much that I made it again except with quinoa. The quinoa version had a lighter texture and tasted just as good as the farro version.
Roasted Asparagus and Red Pepper Farro Salad
ingredients
- 1 cup farro
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1/2 pound asparagus (cut into bite sized pieces)
- 1 roasted red pepper (sliced)
- 1 cup chickpeas
- 1/4 cup feta (crumbled)
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- salt and pepper to taste
directions
- Cook the farro as directed on the package. (Just like rice, 2 cups of water, simmer for ~20 minutes.)
- Toss the asparagus in the olive oil, salt and pepper.
- Roast the asparagus in a preheated 425F/220C oven for about 10 minutes.
- Mix the asparagus, red pepper, farro, chickpeas, and feta in a large bowl.
- Mix the balsamic vinegar, olive oil, oregano, salt and pepper in a small bowl.
- Pour the dressing onto the salad and toss to coat.
Gloria says
May 17, 2008 at 7:54 pmDear Kevin,look fantastic, I love Asparagaus and nevet it roasted.xxYummy Gloria
VeggieGirl says
May 17, 2008 at 8:16 pma farro salad?? with roasted asparagus & peppers?? save some for me, please!! :0)
Elly says
May 17, 2008 at 8:52 pmThis looks delicious, Kevin. I actually haven’t tried anything with farro myself yet but I’ve been meaning to pick some up.
Peter M says
May 17, 2008 at 9:10 pmKevin, with all the experimentation and success with new ingredients, you’re going to turn another room into a pantry!
This salad is eye catching, healthy and sounds tasty.
Jan says
May 17, 2008 at 9:29 pmI have never heard of ‘farro’ before (I probably just don’t get out enough LOL) Looks interesting.
Laura @ Hungry and Frozen says
May 17, 2008 at 9:38 pmLooks fabulous. I think that feta goes so well with wholegrains. Might have to track down some of this farro…oh and roasted asparagus is SO good, have to force myself to cook it any other way. Of course it’s not in season here for a looong time 🙁
Lori says
May 17, 2008 at 9:42 pmWhat a creative recipe, sounds like something I’d really like!
marye says
May 17, 2008 at 10:14 pmAs usual it looks great. I have never heard of that before..interesting. I bet it would make a great base for a salad.
redforever says
May 17, 2008 at 10:17 pmI am sure you could make this with just about any grain – bulgur, brown rice, pot barley, whatever. Many of these types of recipes or pilafs lend themselves to more than one grain as the base.
redforever says
May 17, 2008 at 10:20 pmIf you are trying to cook with more whole grains, try this recipe.
2 cups chicken broth
1/3 cup uncooked wild rice
½ cup uncooked brown rice
½ cup uncooked pearl barley
½ cup golden raisins
1/3 cup onion, medium dice
6 mushrooms, medium slice
¼ cup sliced green onion
2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
1 Tbsp oil
1 tsp Dijon mustard
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp pepper
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
¼ cup slivered almonds, toasted
Combine first 4 ingredients in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer ~30 minutes. Add golden raisins. Cover and simmer ~10 minutes more or until liquid is absorbed. Stir towards the end of cooking so that the grains do not stick to the bottom of the saucepan. If the grains are cooked through and liquid still remains, remove cover, bring to a boil and cook until liquid has dissipated.
In a small saucepan, lightly sauté the onion and mushrooms. Add them to the cooked grains along with the green onion, basil and toasted almonds.
Whisk together the red wine vinegar, oil, mustard, salt and pepper. Add to the cooked grains and combine well. Taste and adjust for seasonings.
This can be served warm and goes very well with pork, chicken or fish. It can also be cooled for a couple of hours and served as a salad.
giz says
May 17, 2008 at 10:51 pmI’ve never tried farro and have always had an interest in giving it a go – I do love the intensity of roasted asparagus – it just brings out the flavour – interesting looking salad Kevin
Lina says
May 17, 2008 at 11:27 pmfirst the garlic theme, and now the asparagus theme! wonderful!!! This looks like a great salad! I’ve never had farro before…
Kalyn says
May 17, 2008 at 11:29 pmSounds like a great combination. Interesting because I had the same thought that garbanzos and farro would be a good combination.
bagel says
May 18, 2008 at 2:31 amLooks great! That farro sounds very mysterious. I will have to look out for farro now. Asparagus, on the other hand, it’s all over the green markets. Must try this recipe.
Pam says
May 18, 2008 at 2:50 amI’m trying to use more whole grains, too! This salad has all my favorite flavors in it, now I just have to find some farro or quinoa.
Jenny says
May 18, 2008 at 3:25 amLooks great Kevin. I love the asparagus stacked on top. I’ll have to try farro, it looks incredible!
Gigi says
May 18, 2008 at 4:42 amI love salads like this during the summer! So filling, yet it does not require an enormous amount of ingredients.
Nina's Kitchen (Nina Timm) says
May 18, 2008 at 5:02 amDo not know farro at all, but am sure going to look out for it. The salad looks so crunchy and packed with flavor.
Marc @ NoRecipes says
May 18, 2008 at 5:16 amOne of my issues with salad-as-a-meal is that they aren’t very filling. This looks both filling and healthy:-)
Gattina says
May 18, 2008 at 8:28 amI know why you later on made this salad again; it just sounds too good!
I have a big bag of farro… used to use in soup, either savory or sweet, now very tempted to put in salad as well.
Grace says
May 18, 2008 at 9:26 ami’ve only recently discovered (and become obsessed with) quinoa, and now i have a new grain to try! it looks great, and since i also enjoy my pasta al dente, it sounds like a grain for me! 🙂
Sylvie says
May 18, 2008 at 11:50 amLovely.
aforkfulofspaghetti says
May 18, 2008 at 12:32 pmLiking the colours in this dish. Real eye appeal!
Manggy says
May 18, 2008 at 12:41 pmGreat combination of flavors you’ve used here! It reminds me of something I made for my mom’s birthday, but I added *loads* more balsamic, haha 🙂 I wanna use my small bag of imported farro already!
Meeta says
May 18, 2008 at 1:34 pmThis is simply perfect. Farro is just perfect here and I love the asparagus. Healthy and yummy!
noble pig says
May 18, 2008 at 2:36 pmOh wow, the colors is what really makes this dish pop. It looks interesting and very healthy. Whole grains are always so important in the diet.
Lisa says
May 18, 2008 at 5:35 pmWonderful entry Kevin! Thank you. Just the flavors I like.
Vicarious Foodie says
May 18, 2008 at 6:10 pmI’ve never had farro . . . I’m adding it to my list of things to try!
Rhyleysgranny says
May 18, 2008 at 10:20 pmLooks so tasty Kevin. I love Feta. A really versatile item to keep in your fridge.I haven’t tried whole grains much. I think I’m a little afraid of them.
xxx
We Are Never Full says
May 18, 2008 at 11:14 pmfarro – must give this a try soon! can’t believe I still haven’t! it’s looks really hearty.
Anonymous says
May 19, 2008 at 1:15 amI made my first farro dish today (a salad with corn and tomatoes) and loved it. The idea of combining farro with chickpeas is a good one. This looks great.
Anonymous says
May 19, 2008 at 2:20 amHey nice combination of things. Me like! I like farro, i should get it more often.
Anonymous says
May 19, 2008 at 4:48 amHow ironic! I just made an asparagus dish with whole grains the other day…I’m going to have to try the same dish with farro.
Toni says
May 19, 2008 at 5:29 amOK, Kevin – you’ve now got me on the hunt for farro. This salad is right up my alley – yummmm!
diva says
May 19, 2008 at 7:59 amkevin, you’ve gone and done it again. this salad looks real great and sound very nutritious too.
canarygirl says
May 19, 2008 at 1:47 pmWow, this looks so good! I need to figure out what the translation for Farro in Spanish is!
Jj says
May 19, 2008 at 1:47 pmLooks wonderful! Been trying to get more whole grains myself, and appreciate this recipe! Tx!
Sharon says
May 19, 2008 at 2:11 pmI’m definitely trying to incorporate more veggies & whole grains into my diet so thanks for the wholesome recipe! Did you serve the farro at room temperature?
Indigo says
May 19, 2008 at 2:19 pmOoh, I actually had asparagus for the first time yesterday! Must be fate ^__^. Looks great.
Kevin says
May 19, 2008 at 2:30 pmredforever: Thanks for the recipe. It sounds good. I am going to have to try combining more than one whole grain in a dish.
Sharon: I had the salad warm the first time and I ate the leftovers cool from the fridge. It was really good both ways.
Rosie says
May 19, 2008 at 3:21 pmHi Kevin is there no end to your talents? You now give us a most fablous farro salad with roasted asparagus & peppers – just truly wonderful!!
Elle says
May 19, 2008 at 3:32 pmWhat a delicious and hearty salad!
Jeff says
May 20, 2008 at 2:37 pmLooks awesome and makes me sad that my asparagus is done producing for the year.
I need to branch out and try more whole grains.
LyB says
May 21, 2008 at 2:21 amThat sounds incredible, what wonderful flavor combinations. I would eat this any day!
maybelles parents says
May 22, 2008 at 11:27 amlooks great.
katiez says
May 23, 2008 at 6:18 pmLooks delicious – glad to read the comment about the quinoa.. That I have, I have not been able to find farro. (Probably considered pig food, like sweet corn…)
Sara says
June 18, 2008 at 9:24 pmLooks amazing!!!
Sara says
June 27, 2008 at 11:46 pmHi again,
Just wanted to let you know that I made this and it was AMAZING! Thanks so much for the terrific recipe. 😀
Anonymous says
July 1, 2008 at 3:44 amThanks for sharing this. I have a question since I plan on making it:
1 cup farro (measured dry) before cooking (which will give me 2 cups cooked)?? Or 1 cup already cooked farro?
Thanks!!
Dolores
Pippi says
April 23, 2013 at 4:24 pmwow che bella ricetta..