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Farro is an ancient grain that is slowly gaining popularity here in the U.S. I first tried farro about 10 years ago on a trip to Italy with my mom. We attended a week-long cooking school in Tuscany and one of my favorite recipes I learned to make was a farro salad. I made it a lot when we first got back from our trip, but over the years it faded from my repertoire. The other day I was on the phone with my aunt and she was making a recipe with farro and it completely jogged my memory and inspired me to make farro salad. I couldn't find the recipe from Italy so I created my own. However, I did remember the one key ingredient that made the farro salad really stand out, homemade basil oil. This is something great to make and have on hand in the summer for a variety of recipes. Really anything you would add basil and olive oil to, think mozzarella and tomato salad or pasta salad.
I love farro because it is high in fiber, protein and other nutrients. It also has a bit of a nutty flavor which is a nice alternative to quinoa, which I also make a lot of. You can add farro to soups, salads, and chilis. The recipe I am going to share with you is my favorite way to cook farro, as a chilled salad.
Ingredients
2 c dry farro
1/2 c basil oil (recipe below)
1 c cherry or grape tomatoes cut in half
1 medium cucumber chopped
3 scallions chopped
2 Tbs fresh parsley
salt and pepper to taste
1. Cook farro according to directions. Usually the ratio is 3:1. 3 cups water for every 1 cup of farro. Bring to a boil for 2 minutes, stir and reduce to medium heat for about 12 minutes. Drain excess water and chill.
2. Prepare veggies and herbs
3. Combine cooled farro and all other ingredients in a large bowl. Stir to combine and chill in fridge until ready to serve.
*For basil oil: You will need to first blanch the basil leaves so they keep their bright green color. I usually just dip leaves in boiling water for about 10 seconds and then shock them in a bowl of ice water. Combine about 1 c of basil leaves with 1/3 c olive oil in a food processor and grind. Basil oil can be stored in the fridge for 3-5 days or frozen.
I absolutely love my mini prep Cuisinart food processor for recipes like this. It is compact and super easy to use and clean. I also love using it to make pesto. I find it a lot easier than lugging out my large food processor.
