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Winter Farro Salad

A hearty grain salad of chewy farro tossed with arugula, thin-sliced pears, dates and toasted pecans, finished with crumbled goat or feta cheese. An orange-ginger vinaigrette keeps it bright, and it eats well as a light main or a substantial side.

4 to 6 servings · 40 min · salad · vegetarian

Ingredients

Farro Salad

  • 1 cup farro, uncooked, rinsed and drained; plus 3 cups water
  • 4 cup baby arugula, roughly chopped; about 4 ounces
  • 2 piece pear, large, ripe, cored and thinly sliced
  • 1 piece shallot, medium, very thinly sliced
  • 4 ounce goat or feta cheese, crumbled
  • ½ cup Medjool dates or dried cranberries, chopped
  • ½ cup pecans, chopped, toasted

Orange Ginger Vinaigrette

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 2 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
  • 2 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
  • 1 piece orange, small; zest plus 1 tablespoon of the juice
  • fine sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper, to taste

Method

  1. Cook the farro. Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the farro and about 1/2 teaspoon salt and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium to maintain a vigorous simmer. Cook the farro until it is chewy and tender — approximately 15 to 20 minutes for pearled farro, 25 to 30 minutes for semi-pearled farro, or 35 to 40 minutes for whole farro. Drain the farro in a fine-mesh strainer and transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Make the dressing. While the farro is cooking, whisk together all of the vinaigrette ingredients (or shake together in a sealed jar) until completely emulsified.
  3. Combine. Add the remaining salad ingredients to the large mixing bowl with the farro and drizzle evenly with the dressing. Toss gently until evenly combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.
  4. Serve. Serve immediately and enjoy!