Marinated Zucchini With Farro, Chickpeas and Parmesan

Marinated Zucchini With Farro, Chickpeas and Parmesan
Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Sarah Jampel.
Total Time
45 minutes
Rating
5(964)
Comments
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Zucchini’s a tricky vegetable, prone to mushiness. Here, we avoid those pitfalls: By pan-frying planks, you’ll get tender, rich insides with golden-brown exteriors. And when you pair these cooked pieces with delicate raw zucchini ribbons (don’t call them zoodles!) you’ll get just a glimpse of this vegetable’s full potential. A generous handful of arugula, and a bed of farro and chickpeas, fill out the rest of the meal. Cooking the chickpeas along with the farro may seem strange, but it will make the canned beans softer, creamier, and more flavorful than simply dumping them into the salad. For added crunch and flavor in every bite, roughly chop the zucchini noodles and the planks before tossing.

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings
  • 1cup farro
  • 1(15-ounce) can chickpeas
  • 1teaspoon kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
  • 1pound small zucchini and/or summer squash, ends trimmed
  • 7tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed
  • 1garlic clove, minced
  • 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
  • 1cup of your favorite soft, fragrant herb, like basil, mint, tarragon, or a combination, roughly torn or cut
  • Black pepper
  • 2cups arugula
  • 1tablespoon lemon juice
  • Parmesan, for shaving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)

377 calories; 19 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 12 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 44 grams carbohydrates; 9 grams dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 497 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Rinse and drain the farro and chickpeas. Add both to a medium pot with 1 teaspoon of salt and add water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil, skim foam from the top, then reduce heat to a simmer and cook until farro is tender, about 25 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Meanwhile, divide your squash haul in half. With one group, cut lengthwise into ¼-inch thick planks. Reserve the other ½ pound for later.

  3. Step 3

    In a large heavy skillet over medium-high heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil. When hot, add the zucchini planks in a single layer and leave undisturbed until golden-brown all over, about 3 minutes. Flip with a fork or pair of tongs, then cook until tender, about 2 more minutes. (You may need to work in batches, adding more oil if necessary.)

  4. Step 4

    Transfer browned zucchini to a shallow dish and, if desired, cut the planks into 2-inch pieces. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining olive oil, garlic, vinegar, and half the herbs. Season with salt and pepper. Pour about half the dressing over the zucchini and let marinate while you finish making the salad. Set remaining dressing aside.

  5. Step 5

    Use a vegetable peeler to shave the rest of the zucchini into ribbons (here’s the easiest way: lay the zucchini on a cutting board, then drag the peeler across it). If your farro is far from done, you can preserve the zucchini strands by soaking them in cold salt water. Drain and pat dry before using.

  6. Step 6

    Drain the farro and chickpeas and transfer to a large mixing bowl. Toss with the reserved dressing and season with salt and pepper. Add arugula, zucchini ribbons, marinated zucchini, lemon juice and Parmesan shavings. Gently toss to combine, adding remaining zucchini marinade to taste, and season again if necessary. Transfer to a serving bowl or platter and top with the remaining herbs.

Ratings

5 out of 5
964 user ratings
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Comments

I found this salad very satisfying. Roasted the zucchini a la Martha Rose Shulman's Zucchini Parmesan recipe--roasting, rather than frying the zucchini, allows you to cut down on olive oil and time (I do the same with eggplant, also a la Martha), with no sacrifice of flavor. Farro cooking with chickpeas smelled divine and would have been even better if I had made my own chickpeas from scratch, as I usually do. I don't know what people were expecting for flavor--sriracha?

This was good, but I made a few adjustments that I think helped! First, I cooked all the zucchini--the marinating of raw strips was too fiddly for a weeknight. Second, instead of fresh herbs, I added minced garlic and a heaping teaspoon of za'atar to the dressing for some (needed) flavour. The herbs I just mixed in with the arugula, and used fresh oregano instead of basil. Third, as per the suggestion of another reviewer, I topped the salad with some feta cheese, which was delicious.

One of the best recipes I’ve made recently. Very easy and much more interesting than its ingredients would suggest. The key is to salt the grains sufficiently, and if you do that, you can easily skip the parm and make this vegan. Although, it is perfect just as written. If you keep some of the dressed farro/chickpea/cooked zucchini mixture separate it holds well in the fridge for quick weekday lunches.

Using high quality balsamic vinegar is a must for this one. So satisfying and easy.

I was thinking of this more like a warm grain bowl than a salad. Thus the arugula I added (which admittedly was of low quality) ended up feeling out of place and invasive, like random raw weeds. If I made this again, I'd make extra dressing and maybe toss it with the arugula and top with grains/veg, or just omit the arugula entirely. The rest was pretty tasty but not my favorite.

I suspect it's missing some allium (more than just garlic), but I do like this salad. Throw some chopped fresh garden tomato on the top since it's tomato season!

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