SERVES: 2
TIME: 60 MINUTES
This salad has never been to a proper Italian wedding, but I adore the use of hearty farro in Northern Italian fare. This dish is inspired by those tremendous vegetable soups (known as Italian wedding soup over here) that usually feature pasta or even farro and aromatic basil. I up the ante in this early fall salad by adding crunchy pine nuts and plenty of homemade roasted garlic so sweet you’ll swear it’s candy (garlic candy?) to liven up end-of-summer tomatoes, zucchini, and basil.
FARRO SALAD
½ cup uncooked farro
3 cups water
¼ teaspoon salt
DRESSING
1 cup lightly packed, chiffonaded fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar (preferably white)
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cloves roasted garlic (see sidebar), plus more for garnish, or 2 raw cloves garlic
2 teaspoons dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon salt
SALAD
1 (14-ounce) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ pound ripe tomatoes, seeded and diced
½ pound zucchini or yellow summer squash, finely diced
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
½ cup toasted pine nuts
1 Pick through and rinse the farro, then combine with the water and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes, reduce the heat, and simmer for about 20 minutes, until tender. Reserve ¼ cup farro cooking liquid and drain the rest. Set the grain aside to cool while preparing the other ingredients, or cook the night before and chill until ready to use.
2 In a blender or food processor, pulse together the reserved farro cooking liquid with the dressing ingredients.
3 In a mixing bowl, combine the farro, chickpeas, tomatoes, zucchini, parsley, pine nuts, and dressing. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes for the flavors to meld, then garnish before serving if desired.
SO MUCH ROASTED GARLIC
Roast garlic cloves by the batch! Pour 1 cup prepeeled garlic cloves (common in many grocery stores) into a baking pan and toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Roast at 400°F for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the cloves are a rich golden brown and buttery soft. Use the roasted garlic in any dressing or toss directly into salads.