Hi all! Thank you so much for those who have reached out with recipes to share after my last post. In case you missed it, I am looking for inspiration from YOUR kitchens to share with The Kitchen Scout community. So if you have a dish that has carried your family through the past year, or just something delicious that you would love to see featured here on the blog, please send it to me at valerie@thekitchenscout.com. I’d love to see what you are cooking up!
This week, I am sharing a recipe sent to me by my bestie, Sally H. that you are definitely going to enjoy. Sally said she and her daughter have been making it on repeat since she discovered the recipe in – wait for it – People Magazine! Weren’t we also just talking about magazines, and People in particular here? So funny. Anyway, Sally puts together a party like no other and while she may not spend as much time in the kitchen as some, everything she makes is delicious and she always puts out a fantastic spread. She has been cooking during quarantine more than ever, and I think she is having a lot of fun with it. In fact, a few of my friends have rediscovered the joy of cooking during the pandemic!
I’ve given “farro” enough of a hiatus on the blog and the kitchen (you may recall back in June, 2019 the hubs gently suggested “enough with the farro”) that I figured I could make it for a mid week lunch. The original recipe calls for farro, kale, roasted red peppers, toasted almonds and feta. I swapped out fresh spinach for the kale since I had a bunch of it, and the hubs prefers spinach to kale. I also had a jar of organic, fire-roasted peppers so figured it was a good time to use those up. Finally, after taking an initial taste of the salad, I thought it could use a briny element and what goes better with feta than some kalamata olives so I chopped some of those up too. They did not make it into the photo however, but they are noted in the recipe. If you don’t like olives, then just omit them.
Other than that, the recipe is really straightforward to prepare and can be doubled or tripled to serve company, or just so there’s more of it waiting for you in the fridge. The hubs enjoyed it, and I brought some on a picnic with a friend and she loved it. We added a dollop of Sophia’s (if you know, you know) delicious Greek yogurt infused with apricot that added a creamy element to the dish. Highly recommend!
This week, I’m linking some other salads below that you may want to consider making as we enter the warmer months. And don’t forget about the Charlie Bird Farro Salad, another excellent use of the grain introduced to me by my friend, Marte. Thank you to Sally H for sending me this delicious recipe. If you make it, please let us know what you think in the comments!
Until next time. Happy Cooking!
More Salads to consider!
Grilled Asparagus & Beet Salad
The recipe was given to me by my friend, Sally H. who found it in People Magazine. Originally titled Brooke Parkhurst & James Briscione's Farro Salad with Roasted Bell Pepper and Crispy Kale, I modified it by using spinach and adding briny kalamata olives. Lemon brightens the flavors while smoked paprika imparts a hint of warmth. Great on it's own, or with a dollop of yogurt to add a creamy element. Recipe can easily be doubled or tripled. Enjoy!
Ingredients
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup uncooked farro
- 1 1/2 tsp. kosher salt, divided
- 1 Tbsp. grated lemon zest, plus 2 Tbsp. fresh juice (from 1 lemon)
- 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika
- 6 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
- 1 medium-size red bell pepper (or 1 jarred roasted bell pepper, rinsed and patted dry)
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped
- 1 (10-oz.) bag baby spinach or chopped kale or 1 large bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and chopped (about 10 cups chopped)
- 3/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
- 2 oz. feta cheese, crumbled (about 1/2 cup)
- 1/4 cup chopped almonds, lightly toated
- 1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
Instructions
- Bring water, farro and 1 teaspoon of the salt to a boil in a medium-size saucepan over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, and simmer, covered, until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain farro, and transfer to a large bowl. Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, paprika and 2 Tablespoons of the oil. Let cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes.
- If using a jarred roasted pepper, rinse it and pat dry and then chop into bite-sized pieces, removing any seeds. If using a fresh pepper, preheat oven to broil, with oven rack about 6 inches from heat. Place bell pepper on a small rimmed baking sheet lined with aluminum foil. Broil in oven, turning once, until blackened all over, about 8 minutes. Remove from oven, and place pepper in a large bowl; cover with plastic wrap. Let stand at room temperature 10 minutes. Remove plastic wrap, and rub pepper with a slightly damp paper towel to remove blackened skin. Chop pepper, discarding stems and seeds. Add chopped pepper to bowl with farro.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of the oil and half of the spinach or kale to a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring often, just until it becomes tender. Add half the garlic during the last minute of cooking, continuing to stir so the garlic doesn't burn. Transfer the spinach-garlic mixture to the bowl with the farro and repeat with the remaining oil, spinach and garlic.
- Add olives, feta, almonds, black pepper and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt to farro-kale mixture; toss well to combine.
Looks great If I want to make it GF, I am thinking rice over quinoa. what do you think?
This looks really good! Two of my kids don’t like feta, so what do you think would be a good substitute cheese?