Farro is king in this salad in a jar
I admit it. I've gone a little nutty over salad in a jar.
I make them on Sunday afternoon and we eat them all week. We bring them to work and eat them for lunch. And when we work late, it's as if someone else made dinner and it's ready when we get home.
I'm usually content to make them using whatever combination of dressing and ingredients I have on hand: vegetables, beans, cheese, leftover pasta or meat, it's all good. But then I ran across this recipe on Pinterest and a new world opened up.
The addition of tender yet chewy, nutty and robust farro really transforms a regular old salad into something special. It can be difficult to find and pricey when you do come across it, but I usually buy this traditional Mediterranean grain in Ocean State Job Lot, in the Bob's Red Mill aisle. You can turn it into pilaf or risotto, add it to soups and stews or use it as a stuffing, and it will retain its wonderful texture all the while.
And when you add it to salad, it really makes it a meal. In this recipe, farro joins chickpeas, celery and sunflower seeds to create an symphony of textures. The hard-boiled eggs love the saltiness of the feta. The dried cherries add surprising bits of tart sweetness. The parsley and greens bring the freshness and the Greek dressing ties the whole thing together.
There are a lot of ingredients and components that you must prepare separately here, but believe me when I tell you, it is so worth it. By the time Thursday rolls around, you will have forgotten all the work you did on Sunday afternoon.
Enjoy!
Jill Blanchette is the multiplatform production editor at The Day. Share comments and recipes with her at j.blanchette@theday.com.
Chickpea, Farro Salad in a Jar
Serves 4
For the farro:
1¼ cups farro, well rinsed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 medium clove of garlic, minced
¼ teaspoon salt
For the Greek dressing:
½ cup extra virgin olive
¼ cup red wine vinegar
2 cloves garlic, minced
1½ teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
¾ teaspoon salt
½ freshly ground black pepper
½ teaspoon agave syrup, honey or sugar
For the chickpea and celery salad:
2 cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 stalks celery, roughly chopped
2/3 cup diced red onion
1 cup chopped fresh parsley
Dried cherries (or cranberries), a handful, roughly chopped
Kalamata olives, pitted, sliced
1/3 cup Greek dressing
For the greens and garnishes:
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
4 hard-boiled eggs, roughly chopped
Mixed baby greens, a couple of handfuls per jar
¼ cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds) or sunflower seeds, lightly toasted
For the farro: In a medium saucepan, combine the rinsed farro in at least 3 cups of water (to cover by a couple of inches). Bring to a boil, turn down heat and simmer until cooked but pleasantly chewy. (Pearled farro will take 15 minutes. Unprocessed will take about 30.) Drain off the excess water and mix in the olive oil, garlic and salt. Set aside to cook.
For the dressing: Put all the ingredients in a jar or bowl, and shake or whisk until emulsified.
For the chickpea and celery salad: Combine the chickpeas, celery, red onion, parsley, olives and dried cherries in a mixing bowl. Add enough dressing to lightly coat. Toss and set aside.
Assembly: Divide the remaining dressing evening among four, 1-quart jars with lids. Then add one-quarter of the chickpea salad to each jar and top each with two tablespoons of the feta. Next, layer on equal portions of the cooled farro, then chopped egg. Then add the greens, a couple of handfuls to each jar, and top with the toasted pepitas or sunflower seeds.
Original recipe from Kansas City, Mo., food blogger Kathryne Taylor.
Comment threads are monitored for 48 hours after publication and then closed.
