Tomato Cucumber Farro Salad

 

I’ve been staring at a bag of farro in my cabinet for a year now. Seriously, a YEAR.

Up until last week, I’d never made farro before, and to be honest, I don’t know if I’d even ever eaten it. Last year, when I attended Food Blog South, I met a representative from Roland foods. We stayed in touch after the event, and she offered to send me a box of their products to try, allowing me to choose what those products were. For some reason, farro was one of them. So after a year of doing nothing with it, last week I decided it was time to give it a shot.

And boy, oh boy, I’m glad I did!

I really wasn’t expecting to enjoy it as much as I did. With a nutty taste and slightly chewy texture, it has now become my new favorite grain!

When I mentioned my new fondness for farro on Twitter, my friend Leah chimed in saying that she just discovered it last year herself when she made this absolutely delicious-looking Cheesy Baked Farro. Once it gets a little cooler out and I’m starting to crave comfort foods, that dish will surely be one of the firsts to show up in my house!

But for now, with the heat of summer and the abundance of tomatoes and cucumbers in my CSA, I’ll stick with this simple salad. And I’ll enjoy every bite.

 

 

Tomato Cucumber Farro Salad

Serves 4-6. Adapted from Cooking Light

Ingredients:

1 cup uncooked, semi-pearled farro
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp dijon mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup diced fresh tomato
1 cup diced cucumber
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
1/4 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup chopped green onions

Directions:

Add farro and 2 1/2 cups salted water to pot. Bring to boil. Cover and reduce heat to simmer for 30 minutes. Remove from heat, allow to cool completely.

In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, lemon juice, dijon mustard, salt, pepper and garlic. Whisk until combined.

Add cooled farro, tomato, cucumber, parsley, mint and green onions to lemon juice mixture. Toss to coat.