The Spiced Life

Musings & Recipes From My Kitchen

  • Home
  • About Me
  • FAQ
  • Dishes By Region
  • Archive and Index
  • Creative Cookie Exchange
  • Contact
  • Privacy Policy
You are here: Home / bacon / Bacon and Farro Salad

Bacon and Farro Salad

June 2, 2013 By Laura 13 Comments

Sharing is caring!

  • Facebook
  • Yummly
  • Twitter
  • Email
Jump to Recipe  ↓ Print Recipe  ❒

Farro Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes and Lemon

Today–the day of writing this, not posting it– was the last day of school. Such a bittersweet day, full of so many conflicting emotions. The kids of course feel no such conflict. Alex is ebullient with joy while Sammy is devastated. I feel much of both. On the one hand, our schedule is once again our own, we can sleep in, bed times need not be so rigid, oh the fun to be be had! On the other hand, my kindergartner and 2nd grader are now a 1st grader and 3rd grader. I know, truly, in my heart that none of us would want children who do not grow and mature. Watching a child blossom and mature is one of the great things about being a parent. It is, however, also one of the hardest. Which is why we moms cry at kindergarten graduation and other such events and totally embarrass our children in the process.

But with a salad like this for dinner I am quickly forgiven for any embarrassing tearful moments.

Farro Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes and Lemon

This salad was huge at my house. Such a hit, in fact, that the next day I went out and bought more bacon and then that evening made more farro, chopped more cucumbers and tomatoes and in general made more. The kids each had multiple servings and John and I loved it as well. It tasted like a somewhat less herby, more chewy, more midwestern tabbouleh with bacon. Which I realize sounds kind of insane so instead I will just strongly suggest suggest you try it!

I found the recipe I adapted from in Bacon Nation: 125 Irresistible Recipes by Peter Kaminsky and Marie Rama. Bacon Nation is one of these super trendy single subject cookbooks that are popping up everywhere. Cookbook lovers like me stare at them longingly, wondering if they are really worth the space. Often the answer is no, but it can just as often be yes. And sometimes it can be hard to predict. For example, a waffle or pancake book will get used in my kitchen. That is a fact. A sandwich cookbook will not. But then there are many cookbook topics that I just cannot tell until I get them home. For example, I can think of a several different bean cookbooks I own. One is is good, one has been entirely untouched, and one is a workhorse in my kitchen. All of this is a particularly long winded way of saying if you like bacon at all run don’t walk to buy this cookbook. I teetered on the edge of not buying this, it was the last book into my cart. It is also, from that shopping trip, the first book used and I have used it twice already. Stay tuned for the next recipe– all I will say is think sweet!

Farro Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes and Lemon

5 from 3 votes
Farro Salad with Bacon, Tomatoes and Lemon
Print
Bacon and Farro Salad
Adapted from Bacon Nation, Peter Raminsky and Marie Rama
Author: TheSpicedLife
Ingredients
  • 6-10 slices bacon to taste (it is fantastic either way but we liked it with more, and it is nice to have 1 to garnish)
  • 1 small or 1/2 large red onion chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups farro I used semi-pearled because that is what I can find
  • salt to taste
  • 1 cup frozen corn I strongly prefer organic or fresh sliced off the cob and boiled until al dente if it is summer
  • 1 small or 1/2 large red onion diced very finely
  • 2 dry pints of grape tomatoes sliced in half
  • 2 hothouse cucumbers peeled and seeded, sliced into half moons
  • 1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
  • 3 T chopped fresh mint
For the dressing:
  • 1 garlic clove smashed
  • zest of one lemon
  • juice of one lemon
  • 1/4 cup white balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 t ground cumin
  • approximately 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil to taste
  • scant warm i.e., still melted tablespoon of bacon fat
  • salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
  1. Cook the farro with the chopped onion according to package directions. Do not overcook--you want it chewy.
  2. Place the frozen corn in the bottom of a fine mesh colander. Drain the farro over the corn (this is will defrost and warm the corn. Set aside to cool.
  3. Cook the bacon until completely crispy but not at all burned (I use the lowest heat on a cast iron skillet). Set aside to drain on a paper towel and press a second paper towel on top of the bacon. When it is cool enough, crumble it into a large bowl. Reserve 1 tablespoon of bacon grease for the dressing.
  4. Toss the finely diced onion, grape tomatoes, cucumber slices, parsley and mint together with the crumbled bacon.
  5. Toss in the cooked onion and farro as well as the defrosted corn.
  6. Make the dressing: place the smashed garlic clove into a medium sized bowl (if raw garlic does not bother you, you could also mince the garlic). Add the lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, bacon fat and cumin. Whisk together.
  7. I find dressings to be somewhat individual--I like more acid and less oil. So start with a minimum of oil, and add it slowly in a drizzle while whisking the dressing. Add some salt and pepper to taste. If it is too acidic for you whisk in some more oil. When you like how it tastes, add it (except the smashed garlic clove) to the farro mixture. Toss, taste again for salt, pepper or even more oil or vinegar, and serve.
  8. Dressed, the salad can sit for a few hours in the refrigerator until dinner is ready.

 

 

As always…

Thanks for reading! I LOVE comments. Use the comment form below to interact, or if you like what you see, and want to see more, please feel free to jump on over to my Facebook page and hit like to never miss a post. It is also a great place to leave me comments or ask me questions.

If you are a Pinterest addict user like I am, you could also drop by and follow me there!

If you would rather have every recipe delivered to your inbox, please sign up below to be on my email list!


Enter your Email

Preview | Powered by FeedBlitz

Filed Under: bacon, cookbooks, corn, cucumbers, Farro, pork, reviews, salads, whole grains Tagged With: bacon, Bacon Nation, corn, cucumber, Farro, lemon, mint, parsley, salad, whole grains

« Broiled Orange Honey Glazed Chicken Thighs
Bacon Lace Cookies »

Comments

  1. Betty Ann @Mango_Queen says

    June 2, 2013 at 11:47 am

    5 stars
    Gorgeous-looking dish! Makes me want to go make a whole platter right now. Thanks for sharing, Laura! Did you go to EWR this year?

    Reply
  2. peter kaminsky says

    June 2, 2013 at 1:50 pm

    thanks for the kind words. if you have the time, an amazon review is always so helpful

    Reply
  3. Joanne says

    June 3, 2013 at 6:39 am

    I love the extra chew from the farro…such a fun addition to these tabbouleh-like flavors!

    Reply
  4. laurasmess says

    June 3, 2013 at 11:34 pm

    I’ve never eaten farro before. It looks deliciously chewy and nutritious! Thanks for sharing this recipe – I adore bacon and the variety of textures and flavours definitely looks like it’d put a smile on my face (and my husband’s face, in terms of the bacon inclusion! Haha).

    Reply
  5. Grubarazzi says

    June 4, 2013 at 8:19 am

    You had me at bacon! 🙂

    Reply
  6. Baker Bettie says

    June 4, 2013 at 9:59 am

    5 stars
    This looks beautiful and is even child approved so I say it is absolutely a must try then! I don’t even have kids yet, but I got a little teary eyed hearing about yours growing up. I can only sort of imagine how exciting but also difficult that must be. Hope you and your family have an amazing summer!

    Reply
  7. Natalie says

    June 16, 2013 at 12:02 pm

    making a grocery list for this recipe. did you mean to list the red onion twice? I’m thinking no….

    (1 small or ½ large red onion, diced very finely)

    Reply
    • Laura says

      June 16, 2013 at 12:05 pm

      Actually I did. 🙂 One onion is cooked with the farro and one onion is diced finely and tossed into the salad.

      Reply
  8. Ashley says

    July 9, 2013 at 3:17 pm

    Oh man… I loooove farro! And all of the other ingredients in here make me swoon, too. This looks wonderful. Glad I figured out that I was missing your feed today – I’ll totally be trying this one out at home 🙂

    Reply
    • Laura says

      July 9, 2013 at 3:42 pm

      Wow you were missing a few! Glad you figured it out. This salad is one of our new repeaters, we adore it.

      Reply
  9. Betsy says

    July 18, 2013 at 11:29 pm

    I loved, loved, loved this. I made a few changes, one being leaving out the mint (soooo not a fan).

    Thanks for posting. Yum!

    Reply
  10. Cyrus says

    May 8, 2015 at 7:11 am

    5 stars
    You had me sold at the bacon, but I LOVE the farro component to this dish. This looks like a really fun dinner to have on a low-key Friday night 🙂

    Reply
  11. Kristen @ A Mind Full Mom says

    May 8, 2015 at 8:12 am

    Farro salads are one of my favorites. And with the bacon, my whole family will love this one

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Hi! I’m Laura and I am a recovering history major who has re-channeled all of my passion for learning about the history of different countries to learning about their food culture. That doesn’t mean every dish on here is strictly authentic, but it does mean that even my adaptations are not undertaken lightly. My goal is to show you–by doing–that these dishes are possible in your kitchen. Including desserts because I have quite the sweet tooth! Read More…

Twitter Facebook Pinterest Instagram
Enter your email here and never miss a post!

Popular Posts

  • Restaurant Style Beef Vindaloo
  • Taralli Dolci di Pasqua (Southern Italian Easter Cookies): #CreativeCookieExchange
  • New Orleans Style Pain Perdu (French Toast)
  • Mexican Ramen Bowl
  • Grandma’s Beef and Noodles
  • Moroccan Inspired Couscous Bowl with Ground Beef, Veggies and Caramelized Onions (redux)
  • Middle Eastern Scrambled Eggs with Meat and Onion: Review of An Edible Mosaic
  • Goan Influenced Goat Stew in the Slow Cooker
  • Saag Gosht (Beef in Fragrant Spinach Sauce)
  • Bengali Mahi Mahi with Mustard Seeds

Copyright © 2008–2023 The Spiced Life