Farro Pasta Salad with Goat Cheese

Time: 1 hour | Serves: 10–14 Nature: Cool | Flavor: Sour, Acrid

Recipe Source: Melissa Clark at NY Times Cooking

Ingredients

For Pasta Salad

  • 1 cup farro
  • 2 bay leaves
  • 1 pound orzo
  • 3/4 cup dried apricots, diced
  • 3/4 cup red onion, thinly sliced
  • 3/4 cup celery, thinly sliced
  • 3 TBL lemon juice, fresh
  • 3/4 cup almonds, sliced
  • 2 cups (60g) baby spinach leaves
  • 1 cup (120g) goat cheese, crumbled
  • 1/2 cup mint leaves, torn
  • 1/2 cup parsley, coarsely chopped
  • Black pepper and kosher salt

For Dressing

  • 2 large lemons
  • 1/2 tsp (3g) salt, plus more to taste
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • 2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

Directions

  1. Cook the Grains: Bring a large pot of heavily salted water to a boil. Add farro and bay leaves and let simmer for 15 minutes. Add orzo to the pot and continue to simmer until farro and pasta are cooked through but still al dente, about 8–10 minutes longer.

  2. Prep the Dressing: Finely grate zest from lemons and place in a large bowl. Squeeze juice from 1.5 lemons and add to zest along with salt, pepper, and red-pepper flakes, whisking to combine. Gradually whisk in oil and adjust salt as needed.

  3. Build the Salad: Drain farro-pasta mixture, discarding bay leaves. Add to bowl with dressing and toss well. Stir in apricots. Let farro and pasta cool, soaking up the dressing. This can be done up to 1 day in advance. Store in the refrigerator and bring to room temp before proceeding. In a small bowl, combine onions, celery, 3 TBL lemon juice and a large pinch of salt. Let these ingredients marinate for at least 20 minutes.

  4. Finish and Serve: Just before serving, add onion mixture and almonds to the bowl with the pasta and farro and toss well. Gently fold in the spinach, goat cheese, mint, and parsley. Taste and adjust lemon juice, salt, and pepper as needed.

Salads Are Great for Innovation

These sorts of cooked grain and pasta salads are great templates for summer vegetables you might have on hand. Try adding ripe cherry tomatoes or switching out the apricots for figs. You can use feta instead of goat cheese or add in some fresh miniature mozzarella balls. Maybe throw in some beautiful basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar instead of lemon juice.

Summer is the season for doing and making, so use this recipe as inspiration for fun ways to enjoy the abundance of those long, warm days. Summer is the only season where humans are able to eat and assimilate larger quantities of raw foods without taxing their digestion, so take advantage of the time and enjoy what the sun and season provide.

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