Rob and I have had the good fortune to travel to Italy a few times over the years, and our m.o. is always to stay in a rented apartment so that we can provision and cook for ourselves. There are so many lovely little neighborhood food shops with an array of fresh and prepared items, including fresh pasta, fresh ricotta, and simple salads.
Such as this farro-vegetable salad. It’s endlessly flexible (you can swap in any vegetables you’d like), and it serves a crowd. I love farro salad as a side dish for grilled chicken or fish; it also makes a tasty and good-for-you packable lunch.
No farro? No problem: You could substitute any cooked whole grain, including brown rice, quinoa or wheat berries.
farro salad with summer vegetables recipe
3 cups cooked farro (I used pearled, or quick-cooking, farro)
5 ears fresh sweet corn, kernels cut off
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
8 ounces fresh mozzarella, cut into cubes
1/4 cup chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup slivered fresh basil
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1/3 cup good quality olive oil
2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper
Bring a saucepan of water to a boil and add a pinch of salt; add the corn kernels and cook for 2 minutes. Remove corn to a colander and rinse with cold water to stop the cooking. Transfer the farro, the corn, cherry tomatoes, mozzarella and herbs to a large serving bowl. In a glass measuring cup, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt. Pour the dressing over the salad and add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste. Can be made several hours ahead of serving.
Very nice salad. We call farro barley over here in Ireland, if I have it identified correctly.
Hi, Conor — Barley and farro are close cousins but not exactly the same species — I think the names are sometimes used interchangeably. They can be cooked in the same way. Thanks for the comment!
And thanks for the education.
Best,
Conor
This salad really does sound delicious and so simple too! Some of the best ingredients I’ve ever used were on vacation in Italy. I was at the farmers market over the weekend and the abundance of fresh tomatoes brought back great memories of our vacation…
http://mymoderndiary.wordpress.com/2013/07/29/the-italian-farmers-market-in-northern-virginia/
What is FARRO
Hi, Charlene — Farro is a grain that’s very closely related to wheat. The whole grains are delicious — nutty and a little chewy — when they’re cooked in salted water. You can find pearled or quick-cooking farro in some groceries. Barley or wheatberries would be a good substitute.