The FARRO SALAD is a great and fresh first course – or a main dish if you want to stay light – perfect to serve at a summer lunch or to take on a picnic by the sea or in the mountains, an original alternative to the usual and sometimes a bit boring rice salads. It’s a fresh and light dish, full of colorful vegetables, which also makes it cheerful and much loved by children.
This salad, which can also be prepared a little in advance, has farro as its strong point: an ancient grain rich in important nutrients and fiber, valuable for our bodies. It is enriched with crunchy vegetables and legumes and completed by the intense flavor of feta and tuna in oil. I really recommend spending a few minutes preparing the vegetables rather than using ready-made dressings, whose flavor is far less appealing and which lack the natural crunch and goodness of ingredients that have just been briefly sautéed. A little effort, you’ll see as soon as you finish the recipe, is amply rewarded by the joy of the palate.
- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Economical
- Rest time: 1 Hour
- Preparation time: 10 Minutes
- Portions: 4 servings
- Cooking methods: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Spring, Summer
Ingredients
- 1 2/3 cups pearled farro
- 4 oz tuna in oil
- 1 red bell pepper
- 2 carrots
- 3/4 cup fresh shelled peas
- 1 stalk celery
- 2 oz green olives
- 3.5 oz pickled pearl onions
- 5 oz feta
- to taste extra virgin olive oil
- to taste salt
- to taste black pepper
Steps
Preparing the FARRO SALAD is very easy and within everyone’s reach.
First, rinse the farro under running water, then cook it in boiling salted water for 20 minutes. Drain it, drizzle with a little oil and let it cool.
In the meantime, wash and trim the vegetables.
Cut the carrots into small dice and sauté them with a little oil and a pinch of salt for 10 minutes until they are soft but still slightly crunchy. Add a splash of water to prevent them from burning.
Cut the bell pepper into cubes as well and sauté it in a pan with a little oil, seasoning with salt and pepper. It should remain crisp as well.
Shell the peas, boil them in salted water for 5 minutes, then drain them into cold water to stop the cooking.
Once all the cooked vegetables are ready, begin assembling the farro salad.
Place the farro in a large bowl, add the carrots, bell pepper, peas, diced celery, olives sliced into rounds, pickled pearl onions and crumbled feta. Add the tuna, another drizzle of oil and adjust salt if necessary.
Mix well and transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least 1 hour.
This way all the ingredients will meld together, making the dish flavorful.
Take it out 15 minutes before serving and enjoy.
TIPS
To give an extra touch of freshness to the farro salad you can add chopped basil and mint or some lemon zest.
To give an extra touch of freshness to the farro salad you can add chopped basil and mint or some lemon zest.
