Here in Umbria, farro is definitely a very popular grain used in soups, in salads, or even in place of rice in a risotto type of dish. During the warmer months, you can find farro salads on many antipasti trays, and often a farro salad can be found listed on many restaurant menus in place of pasta.
I make a lot of these tasty grain salads during the warmer months as farro is a great grain to mix with a variety of vegetables, stays firm to the bite and never gets soggy, and has a distinctive nutty flavor that I really enjoy. I have a couple of farro salads already posted, but I made this particular salad combination a few times this spring using such spring vegetables as fava beans, spring onions, and peas, and it was delicious, nutritional, and very filling so I thought I’d share this one too.
Farro is now much easier to find in North America than it used to be, and often can even be found in the organic section of your local grocery store. If you cannot find farro, spelt or even barley are good alternatives.
Often the farro found in North America is the semi pearled variety which cooks up a little quicker than the whole grain farro. I used the semi-perlato variety in this recipe as that was the type I had on hand.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele
Farro Salad With Peas And Fava Beans
Here in Umbria, farro is definitely a very popular grain used in soups, in salads, or even in place of rice in a risotto type of dish.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups Farro
- Salt & Pepper
- 1 Cups Blanched Spring Peas
- 1 1/2 Cups Podded, Skinned & Blanched Fava Beans
- 2 Small Spring Onions (or 1 Medium) Peeled & Diced
- 2 Cups Halved Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 Small Bunch Fresh Parsley, Coarsely Chopped
- 1/4 Cup Red Wine Vinegar
- 3/4 Cup Olive Oil
- Salt & Pepper
Instructions
- Cook the farro in a pot of salted water until tender to the bite.
- Drain well and let cool to room temperature.
- Place your vegetables and parsley in a large serving bowl and add your cooled farro.
- Mix together the oil, vinegar, sailor & pepper with a fork until well blended.
- Add one third of the dressing to the farro mixture and toss well.
- Taste, and add additional dressing as needed.
- Taste again, and add additional salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve at room temperature.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 4 Serving Size: 2 cupsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 583Total Fat: 42gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 260mgCarbohydrates: 44gFiber: 10gSugar: 8gProtein: 12g