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farro salad with limas and peas

Farro Salad with Peas, Limas, and Tomatoes

Sunnyside Cook

Dawn Dobie
Vegetarian salad highlighting Tuscan ingredients
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Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 26 minutes
Servings 4

Ingredients
  

  • 1 cup farro*
  • 3 cups water
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • 1 cup frozen baby lima beans
  • 1 cup fresh shelled green peas or frozen peas
  • 3 plum or Campari tomatoes --seeded and finely chopped
  • 1 green onion --thinly sliced (about 1 tablespoon)
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh basil leaves
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • 1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
  • salt to taste
  • freshly ground black pepper to taste

Instructions
 

  • Rinse farro. Combine water and farro in medium saucepan so that water covers the grains. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat level to medium and cook for 20-30 minutes, until farro is tender. Drain well.
  • Whisk olive oil and red wine vinegar together in the bottom of a large bowl. Season with salt and black pepper. Add warm, drained farro and toss. Leave at room temperature to cool while preparing lima beans and peas.
  • Meanwhile in same medium saucepan, cook lima beans according to package directions. (I simmered mine for about 14 minutes.) During the last minute of cooking time, add the peas and cook for just one minute. Drain and refresh with cold water to cool the legumes down and keep the bright green color. Drain well. Add limas and peas to farro.
  • Add tomato pieces, parsley, basil, and green onions to farro mixture, tossing to distribute evenly. Sprinkle lemon juice over and mix together.
  • Add about half of the spinach leaves. Toss to combine and taste for seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, lemon juice, or vinegar, if needed.
  • Line serving dishes with remaining spinach leaves and serve salad over them.

Notes

*Wheat berries or quinoa can be substituted for farro (quinoa is a gluten-free option). Cook each according to package directions.
You can make the salad up to the point of adding the limas and peas to the farro up to 4 hours ahead of time. Cover and refrigerate.
Adapted from a recipe by Anne Bianchi, Lorenzo de’Medici, Nancy Harmon, and Susan Herrmann Loomis in Bon Appétit (May 2000).