Farro is an Italian whole grain that's low in gluten. I use it a lot in salads, as it has a great nutty texture and is very versatile. In Australia, I like the Chef's Choice brand, which is whole grain and unpearled: You'll need to adjust the cooking time if using the cracked or pearled type. Farro is available from health-food stores and some supermarkets.

Serves 4 as a side

Ingredients


  • 1 1/3 cups (9 ounces) whole-grain farro
  • 9 ounces cherry tomatoes, quartered
  • 1 long green chili, very finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
  • 1/2 small red onion, very finely chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, very finely chopped
  • 1 large handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 large handful basil, finely chopped, plus extra to garnish
  • 1 large handful mint, finely chopped
  • 1 large handful arugula, finely chopped
  • 1 cup feta
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 1/2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

    Directions


    Place the farro in a saucepan with 2 cups water. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes, or until the farro is tender. Drain and rinse well under cold running water, then drain again to remove as much water as possible.

    Place the farro in a large bowl along with the tomato, chili, pine nuts, onion, garlic, herbs and arugula. Toss to combine well, then crumble in half of the feta. Add the lemon zest and juice and the olive oil and season to taste.

    To serve, crumble over the remaining feta and garnish.

    Reprinted from What Katie Ate on the Weekend by arrangement with Viking Studio, a member of Penguin Group (USA) LLC, a Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © 2015, Katie Quinn Davies.
    • Published 05/15/2015

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