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Farro and Chickpea Salad

Farro and Chickpea Salad

I always say this and still cannot emphasize it enough, especially with a salad: Adjust to taste at the end-I like my dressings super tart, you might not, in which case add more oil. Swap out various garnishes and salad components to whatever sounds good to you. I use lentils in addition to chickpeas because they have more protein.

Course Entree, entree salad
Cuisine salad
Keyword chickpeas, farro, legumes, lentils, vegetarian

Ingredients

For the grain-legume mixture:

  • 1 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 red onion, chopped
  • 2 T garlic paste (or minced)
  • 1 T (scant) ginger paste (or minced ginger)
  • 1 t fresh chile pepper paste
  • 1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro
  • 1/2 cup brown or green lentils (the kind that will hold their shape)
  • Drizzle of cider vinegar, to taste
  • Salt to taste
  • 2 cups chopped multi colored bell peppers (green, red, orange and yellow-use whatever appeals)
  • 2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

For the dressing:

  • zest of 1 lemon
  • juice of 1/2 large juicy lemon
  • 1/4 cup cider vinegar
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • 1 t whole grain mustard
  • 1 t honey, to taste
  • 2 T Sicilian lemon vinegar (made with white balsamic vinegar)
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

For the salad:

  • Arugula--2 handfuls per serving
  • Mixed baby greens--2 handfuls per serving
  • dried fruit of choice (I used sliced figs and tart cherries), optional
  • crumbled goat cheese (Sammy liked this salad with feta as she does not care for goat cheese)

Instructions

  1. Add the oil to a medium-large pot. When it is hot, add the onions, garlic, ginger and chile pepper paste. Cook briefly, a few minutes. Then add the farro and cover by at least 2 inches of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce to simmer.

  2. Let simmer for 5 minutes and then add the lentils. Make sure everything is still covered by 2 inches of water. Return to a simmer.

  3. Let simmer for 15 minutes, or until lentils are tender and farro is chewy-tender. A few minutes before the end of cooking add 1 teaspoon of salt. When the farro and lentils are ready, drain.

  4. Return the farro-lentil mix to the pot (off the heat) and drizzle with cider vinegar and taste for salt. Mix in the bell peppers and chickpeas. Set aside to cool.

Make the dressing while the farro cools:

  1. Whisk together the lemon zest, lemon juice, cider vinegar, mustard, Sicilian lemon vinegar, honey and a pinch of salt and pepper.

  2. Maintaining a brisk whisk of the vinegar mixture, drizzle the olive oil into the mixture while whisking. Add all of the oil until emulsified. Taste for more salt and pepper. Also taste to see if it is way too tart for you (I prefer tart) and add more oil if so. 

Assemble the salad:

  1. Mix the baby greens and arugula. Place a few handfuls in the bottom of each serving bowl. 

  2. Drizzle half of the dressing over the legume mixture and mix in.

  3. Place several spoonfuls of the cooled legume mix over the greens. Sprinkle with dried fruit (if using) and goat cheese. Drizzle with dressing. Serve immediately.

  4. The legume mixture will keep several days in the fridge for leftovers. Just reassemble the salad each time you serve so the greens do not get wilted.