Asparagus Farro Salad Recipes

ASPARAGUS FARRO SALAD

Steps:

• In 2-quart saucepan, heat 4 cups water to boiling. Stir in farro; return to boiling. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook 20 to 25 minutes.
• Meanwhile, cut asparagus into 1-inch pieces, leaving heads full. In 10-inch skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add asparagus and shallot; cook 5 to 7 minutes, stirring occasionally, until desired doneness (some like asparagus more tender, while others prefer a little fresh crunch). Remove asparagus from skillet to plate; set aside.
• Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons oil, the lemon peel and lemon juice to skillet. Heat over low heat, scraping bottom of skillet with wooden spoon to loosen browned bits. Stir in salt and pepper. Set sauce aside.
• Drain cooked faro in strainer or colander; rinse. In large serving bowl, toss faro with asparagus, pecans and feta cheese. Drizzle sauce over top.

FARRO SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Soak farro in a large bowl of water for at least 12 hours. Drain.
• Fill a large pot with lightly salted water and bring to a rolling boil over high heat. Once the water is boiling, stir in the drained farro, and return to a boil. Reduce heat to medium, then cook the farro uncovered, stirring occasionally for 20 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue simmering until tender, about 30 more minutes. Drain and allow to cool.
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus, and cook uncovered until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the asparagus is cold, drain well, and chop. Set aside.
• Place farro, asparagus, tomatoes, walnuts, cranberries, parsley, and chives in a large bowl. Drizzle the balsamic vinaigrette over and sprinkle about 3/4 cups Parmesan cheese, then toss. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese. Serve at room temperature.

GRILLED ASPARAGUS AND FARRO SALAD

Steps:

• Preheat a grill to high. In a large bowl, toss together almonds, lemon zest, dill, and scallions; set aside.
• Drizzle asparagus lightly with extra-virgin olive oil and season with salt and pepper; grill, turning once, until just tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
• Transfer asparagus to a cutting board and let cool slightly, then chop into bite-size pieces. Add to bowl with almond mixture along with farro, 2 tablespoons oil, and 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and adjust with more lemon juice if desired; fold in feta and serve.

FARRO WITH VIDALIA ONION AND ASPARAGUS

Steps:

• Bring a medium pot of water to a boil.
• Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and 1/4 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, about 25 minutes. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring often, until golden brown, 5 to 10 minutes more.
• While the onions cook, add the farro to the boiling water along with 1 teaspoon salt. Boil until tender but still very toothsome, about 20 minutes. Add the asparagus and cook until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; drain well.
• Add the farro and asparagus to the caramelized onions along with the parsley, vinegar and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a bowl and serve.

FARRO SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS, TOMATOES AND RICOTTA SALATA

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to a boil. Spread the farro out onto a rimmed baking sheet and toast in the oven until it smells nutty, about 7 minutes. Add the toasted farro to the boiling water and cook until al dente, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain and toss with the raisins, lemon zest and juice in a large serving bowl.
• Toss the asparagus with 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt on a rimmed baking sheet and roast for 2 minutes.
• Meanwhile, toss the tomatoes with the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove the asparagus from the oven and add the tomatoes to the baking sheet. Return to the oven and roast until the tomatoes begin to blister, about 3 minutes more.
• Toss the roasted asparagus and tomatoes with the farro along with the parsley. Top with the ricotta salata and serve.

FARRO SALAD WITH PEAS, ASPARAGUS, AND FETA

Steps:

• Cook farro in large saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, about 10 minutes. Drain. Transfer to large bowl.
• Meanwhile, cook asparagus and sugar snap peas in another saucepan of boiling salted water until crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Drain. Add to farro with tomatoes, onion, and dill. Whisk oil and vinegar in small bowl. Season dressing with salt and pepper. Add dressing and feta to salad; toss to coat and serve.

ROASTED ASPARAGUS AND SCALLION SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a small pot of heavily salted water to a boil, stir in freekeh or farro, cover, and simmer until al dente, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together 2 teaspoons soy sauce, lime juice, garlic, and pinch salt and pepper. Drizzle in 3 tablespoons oil, whisking constantly.
• Drain freekeh and stir immediately into dressing while still warm.
• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Spread asparagus and scallions over a rimmed baking sheet and drizzle liberally with oil, 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce and a pinch of salt and pepper. Toss to combine, then arrange in a single layer. Roast until they start to char in spots, about 20 minutes. Let cool slightly: The asparagus are best while still a little warm but not hot enough to wilt the greens.
• Toss salad greens in the bowl with freekeh and dressing until leaves are coated, and transfer to serving platter. Top with roasted asparagus and scallions, shave cheese over salad if you like, and serve.

FARRO SALAD WITH ASPARAGUS AND PARMESAN

Steps:

• Bring large pot of lightly salted water to rolling boil over high heat. Stir in farro and return to boil.
• Reduce heat to medium and cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
• Reduce heat to low, cover, and continue simmering until desired tenderness, 20 to 30 minutes more. Drain and let cool.
• Meanwhile, bring about 3/4 inch of lightly salted water to a boil in a large, deep skillet.
• Cook asparagus, uncovered, until just tender, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer asparagus to a bowl of ice water for several minutes to stop cooking process.
• When asparagus is cold, drain well and cut diagonally into 1 1/2 inch slices.
• Whisk together vinegar, oil and salt in large bowl.
• Add farro, asparagus, tomatoes, walnuts, cranberries, parsley and chives and toss to coat.
• Sprinkle salad with 1/2 cup parmesan and toss to mix.
• Top with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan.
• Serve at room temperature.

FARRO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil over high heat. Add green beans and snap peas, and cook for 1 minute. Fish out the beans with a spider, mesh strainer or slotted spoon. Rinse briefly in cool water, then blot on a kitchen towel and set aside.
• Add farro to the pot, and cook until al dente, 15 to 20 minutes, then drain and spread out on a baking sheet or platter to cool.
• As the farro cooks, make the vinaigrette: Put shallots in a small bowl. Add a pinch of salt and pepper, lemon juice and zest, and leave for 5 minutes, then whisk in olive oil.
• Season the farro lightly with salt and pepper. Drizzle with half the vinaigrette, toss and mound.
• Slice the asparagus in very thin, lengthwise ribbons with a thin-bladed knife or mandolin and place in a medium-size bowl. Add cooked green beans, snap peas and thick slices of avocado. Salt lightly, add remaining vinaigrette and toss gently to coat.
• Arrange dressed vegetables over farro, garnish with basil leaves and serve.