Farro and Roasted Asparagus Salad
Honestly the name of this dish should be Farro and Roasted Asparagus Salad with Lemon Fig Dressing and Other Good Stuff. I know that’s too long but this recipe is about so much more than a grain and a vegetable. I played around with this recipe based on a farro and green bean salad that was served recently at a picnic.
As usual, I kept thinking about what would make this dish even more yummy. If you haven’t cooked with Farro – you should give it a shot. It’s so easy and so good for you and best of all it tastes great. It’s got a cool texture and taste and it cooks so easily in boiling water with a pinch of salt. You can serve it hot, or at room temperature. It can be a side dish for just about anything or a main dish with a few additions.
I decided to use the grill to roast a bit of asparagus and some green onions while the farro cooked. You could sub just about any vegetable and use a broiler if the grill isn’t handy (or if it is 100 degrees outside like today). You could go all kinds of directions with this salad. Cherry tomatoes would be nice, maybe some cheese, feta or parmesan, but the sweet tart dressing with chopped herbs was my favorite part.
For the dressing I used a bit of fig preserves with lemon balsamic vinegar and olive oil. In my own slightly lazy opinion if you can’t just shake dressing up in a jar it’s already too much trouble.
The herbs chosen were based on accessibility – that was tarragon and fennel. Dill would have worked too. Finally, a sprinkle of roasted almonds was a perfect finish. We enjoyed this with grilled chicken basted with the same dressing, but the leftover salad was just as good the next day and made a perfect lunch. Add Farro to your pantry and make this wonderful salad soon. Style it to fit your taste and mostly just enjoy!
Ingredients
1 cup dry Farro cooked according to package directions
8-10 asparagus spears
5 green onions
2 Tbsp each chopped tarragon, fennel, or fresh herbs of choice (mint or dill could be good substitutes)
2 Tbsp toasted slivered almonds (one minute in the microwave will do that job)
Dressing
2 Tbsp fig preserves
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp lemon balsamic vinegar ( may just white balsamic)
Directions
Grill or broil asparagus and onions until there are a few brown spots or grill marks.
Chop onions and asparagus into bite sized pieces.
In a salad bowl combine Farro, asparagus, onions, and herbs.
Add dressing ingredients to a jar and shake to combine.
Mix dressing with salad and add almonds.
Season with salt and pepper as desired.
