Greek Farro Salad With Creamy Feta-Oregano Vinaigrette
This salad is healthy, easy to make, and the perfect accompaniment to any spring/summer meal. If needed, you can make it several hours in advance and store it in the fridge until ready to serve. A little chill-time will allow the flavors to marry even further.
- 1 c. pearled or semi-pearled farro (see TIP A below), rinsed and uncooked
- 5-6 c. water
- 3 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp. grapeseed or canola oil
- 3-4 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 1/3 c. crumbled feta cheese plus more for topping salad
- 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp. ground sumac
- 1/2 tsp. granulated sugar
- 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
- 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded and chopped (see TIP B below)
- 1 pint fresh mini San Marzano, grape, or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
- 1/2 small red onion, finely chopped
- 1/4 c. chopped fresh mint or Italian parsley (or both)
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Bring thoroughly rinsed farro, water, and 2 teaspoons salt to a vigorous boil in a medium saucepan. Then reduce the heat to medium-low to maintain a gentle boil and let cook until the grains are al dente (typically 18-20 minutes for pearled or semi-pearled farro). When done, drain the farro and set it aside to cool.
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In a mini food processor or blender, combine the oils, red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup crumbled feta, dried oregano, ground sumac, sugar, pepper, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Whir until the feta becomes small bits and blends with the other ingredients. Transfer finished vinaigrette to a large bowl.
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Add the cooked farro, cucumber, tomato, red onion, and chopped fresh mint or parsley (or both) to the large bowl with the vinaigrette. Gently stir the ingredients together and add the remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt if needed. Transfer the mixture to a serving platter or bowl and top with a sprinkling of crumbled feta (if desired).
TIP A: Unless you've purchased farro that states "whole grain" on the package, then chances are it is pearled or semi-pearled. Pearled and semi-pearled farro are the most common varieties found in grocery stores today because they keep longer and cook faster than whole grain farro. "Pearling" simply means that the grains were polished to remove or partially remove the outer bran layer that tends to turn rancid a lot earlier than the rest of grain. Farro is unique (relative to other grains) in that its nutrients are fairly evenly distributed. Thus, even when the farro bran is polished or partially polished away, a lot of healthy nutrients still remain. Bottom line, pearled and semi-pearled farro are still very nutrient-rich and much better for you than many other processed grains. I often opt for semi-pearled farro (or "scratched" as it is sometimes described) which has some of the bran remaining and cooks in about 20-25 minutes. If you go with whole grain farro, just be sure to adjust your cooking time (usually double).
TIP B: The skin and seeds of an English cucumber are completely edible and often more delicate than those of a traditional cucumber. Even still, I typically remove them when I'm chopping English cucumber for a salad because, invariably, you'll get some pieces that are mostly skin or mostly seeds—and, well, that's just not good. Peeling the cucumber takes seconds with a sharp peeler, and seeding it is nearly as fast if you cut the cucumber length-wise and scrape out the seeds with the edge of a teaspoon.