Greek Style Farro Salad

I fell in love with farro a few years ago and it was love at first taste. Similar to (and often interchangeable) pearl barley and spelt, but it’s more chewy. I love it for its neural taste. I only used it in salads so far, more to explore with soups. I normally buy the quick cook version, otherwise it needs soaking (don’t have time for that, nor am I so well organised. More into impulsive cooking ?). For vegetarians and vegans it’s a great source of extra protein and iron but also an excellent source of high-fibre too.

This salad is just as tasty as easy, a bold combination of the flavoursome greek salad and the nutty farro.

Ingredients:

200g quick cook farro

1 litre vegetable stock

2 vine tomatoes deseeded and chopped finely

1 sweet red pepper deseeded and chopped finely

1 medium cucumber deseeded and chopped finely

1/2 red onion chopped finely

2-3 handful of fresh basil chopped

2 tsp dried oregano

200g feta cheese cubed 

For the vinaigrette:

3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 lemon’s juice

1 tbsp white wine vinegar

1 garlic clove crushed

salt and pepper to taste

Method:

Bring the water to boil in a saucepan, add farro and the stock cubes. Cook until they tender. (You’re still looking for some firmness, like with rice.) Drain it, set it aside and let it cool for about 15 minutes. Chop the veggies into very small, fine pieces. Prepare the vinaigrette. Combine everything adding the cheese at the very end so that you don’t crush your neat little cubes. I like the feta cubed, it’s somehow more significant in the salad then crushing it. And that’s it, enjoy it.