Farro Salad with Beets & Carrots (vegan)

Recipe adapted from http://www.thefullhelping.com

Husband-Tested and Adapted in Alice’s Kitchen

Make 6 generous servings

What a gloriously beautiful salad this turned out to be!  Every week or so, I like to roast a bunch of fresh beets and then chop or slice them up to toss into salads throughout the week.  I would suggest you do the same for this salad because roasting beets, though very easy to do, is time consuming, even though it’s mostly hands-off time.  If farro isn’t available, you could certainly substitute another grain such as brown rice, whole-wheat couscous, or quinoa.  I’ve come to love farro more than any other grain and so I make it often.  The original recipe called for steaming the vegetables, but I prefer roasting root vegetables because they somehow seem richer tasting.  It also included directions for making farro on top of the stove instead of with a rice cooker.  (I really believe that we’ve come to eat more healthful grains because of the rice cooker because it’s so dang easy.) All of the components of this salad can be made in advance and then tossed together come supper time.  This salad is nice enough to serve at a party.

4 large carrots, peeled, cut into small sticks

1 small yellow onion, peeled, cut into chunks

Olive oil

Kosher salt, to taste

Freshly ground pepper, to taste

1 Tablespoon fresh lemon juice

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

3 Tablespoons olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

3 medium beets, roasted*, peeled, cut into small cubes

2 cups (approx.) cooked farro**

Preheat the oven to 425F.  Place the carrots and onions on a rimmed baking sheet.  Drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.  Toss until lightly coated.  Roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes or until fork tender and a little charred.  Place the lemon juice, mustard, 3 Tablespoons olive oil, minced garlic, salt and pepper to taste in a jar with a lid.  Shake the jar vigorously until well blended.  In a large bowl, toss the roasted carrots, onions, beets, cooked farro and the vinaigrette together until well combined.  Place the salad on a large platter before serving.

*How to Roast Beets:

1 bunch beets, trimmed and scrubbed

2-3 fresh thyme or rosemary sprigs or 2 fresh bay leaves (optional)

½ teaspoon Kosher salt

Olive oil

To roast the beets, preheat the oven to 400.  Place a piece of foil on a baking sheet.  Place a piece of parchment paper on top of that.  Put the beets, herbs, Kosher salt, and a drizzle of oil in the center.  Toss the beets to coat.  Fold the foil/parchment in a loose-fitting but tightly sealed packet around the beets.  Roast the packet on the baking sheet until the beets are tender, about 1 hour and 15 minutes.  (This may take longer depending on the size of your beets.) Let the beets cool completely in the foil/parchment.  When cool, use a paring knife to peel and slice he beets into wedges (Beets can be roasted up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated.) 

**How to Cook Farro in a Rice Cooker

1 cup farro

1½ cups water or vegetable broth

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Pinch of sea salt

Place the farro in a dry skillet over medium-high heat.  Toast, stirring constantly, until the grains pop and deepen in color, about 4 minutes. Place the toasted farro and the water (or broth) in the rice cooker bowl.  (You’ll hear it sizzle.) Let the farro soak in the machine for 1 hour.  Add the oil and salt; swirl to combine.  Close the cover and set for the Regular/Brown Rice cycle.  When the machine switches to the Keep Warm cycle, let the farro steam for 1- minutes. Fluff with a wooden spoon or plastic rice paddle.  This farro will hold on Keep Warm for up to 1 hour.  Serve hot. (If you have left over, store it in the fridge and then reheat in the microwave.)