Farro Salad With Beets, Greens and Feta

Name: Farro Salad With Beets, Greens and Feta
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Ingredients: 2 medium or 3 small beets (any color) with greens, the beets roasted, the greens stemmed and washed in two changes of water; 1 cup farro, soaked for one hour in water to cover and drained; Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste; 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar; 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar; 1 small garlic clove, minced or pureed; 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard; 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (may substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons walnut oil for 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil); 1/2 cup broken walnut pieces; 2 ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled (more if desired for garnish); 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, marjoram, chives, mint

By Martha Rose Shulman

Total Time: 1 hour and 10 minutes
Rating: 5(1,421)
Comments: Read comments

Farro is a sturdy grain that stands up well to formidable ingredients like beets, their greens and salty feta cheese. That hardiness and versatility, as well as its sweet, nutty flavor, have made farro a popular option for filling out a salad in order to create a main dish. If you’re in doubt, sliced or shredded poached or roasted chicken would make a nice addition. Either way the farro absorbs color from the red beets, giving the dish a pinkish tint that only deepens as hours pass. (In fact, you can make the dish up to a day ahead. And it travels well, making it fine picnic fare.) Soak the grains for an hour before cooking, and be sure to cook until tender, or else the salad will be chewy.

Featured in: Getting Your Grains and Greens, Too

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

2medium or 3 small beets (any color) with greens, the beets roasted, the greens stemmed and washed in two changes of water
1cup farro, soaked for one hour in water to cover and drained
Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
2tablespoons sherry vinegar
1teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1small garlic clove, minced or pureed
1teaspoon Dijon mustard
½cup extra virgin olive oil (may substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons walnut oil for 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil)
½cup broken walnut pieces
2ounces feta or goat cheese, crumbled (more if desired for garnish)
¼cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, marjoram, chives, mint

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add salt to taste and the greens. Blanch for two minutes, and transfer to the ice water. Allow to cool for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
Step 2
Bring the water back to a boil, and add the farro. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring from time to time, or until the farro is tender. Remove from the heat and allow the grains to swell in the cooking water for 10 minutes, then drain.
Step 3
While the farro is cooking, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the vinegars, salt, garlic and mustard. Whisk in the oil(s). Add to the farro. Peel and dice the beets and add, along with the beet greens, feta or goat cheese, herbs and walnuts. Toss together, and serve warm or room temperature with a little more cheese sprinkled over the top if you wish.

Tip

The roasted beets and cooked beet greens will keep for three or four days in the refrigerator, and the cooked farro for five days. You can assemble this salad hours or even a day ahead; it will redden with time.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,421 user ratings

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Comments

kathrin7 years ago

Great salad! But I wouldn't use that much oil next time...

cheching6 years ago

I have made this with both feta and goat cheese (not at the same time), and they were both equally delicious! Also, I'm not sure why the farro recipes on this site always call for an inordinate amount of olive oil in the vinaigrette, but I only used 1/4 cup and it was more than enough. The unintended benefit of reducing the olive oil is that it cuts a HECK of a lot of calories from this dish.

Erica6 years ago

It says the beets are roasted in the notes, but I don't see anything about actually roasting them in the recipe?

Jim A.4 days ago

This recipe was fabulous! I had beets and beet greens from my garden and was tempted to skip the blanching of the greens since they were so fresh. Has anyone tried it with fresh, non-blanched greens?

RobinW2 weeks ago

Novice chef wannabe- how do I roast beets? Temp? Time? Oil…

Jen H.3 weeks ago

Made this tonight with beets from the farmers market and it was delicious. We didn't have feta on hand, so I used mozzarella pearls from Trader Joe's. I also used TJ's 10-minute farro and it worked very well. The family loved it. Will definitely make this again!

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