Featured Recipes

Insalata di farro per L'Estate
Rolando Beramendi

Rolando Beramendi's Summer Farro Salad with
Tomatoes and Cannellini Beans

YIELD: 6-8 servings.

Rolando Beramendi, the founder of Avignonesi Wine and Food Workshop in Tuscany, introduced me to this delicious salad when he taught a summer class at my cooking school.  The farro grain is a wonderful substitute for the stale bread in the traditional panzanella salad. This salad transports beautifully for picnics and parties.

from Festa del Giardino

INGREDIENTS:

1 pound of farro

½ cup of extra-virgin olive oil

2 garlic cloves peeled and left whole

6 vine-ripened tomatoes, halved and cut into slices

1 cucumber scraped and cut into wedges

1 red onion cut into small pieces

1 15 ½ -ounce can of cannellini beans

a handful of fresh basil leaves

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

METHOD:

1. Put the farro in a bowl and cover with cold water.  Let it sit for 2 hours. Drain and discard the water.

2. In a large stockpot cover the farro with fresh cold water and bong to a boil.  Cook for about 40 minutes until al dente. For this particular recipe the farro should be very soft, a bit more tender than al dente. Drain and rinse with cold water and transfer to a large ceramic glass bowl.  Immediately drizzle ¼ cup of the olive oil on the farro.  Let it cool.

3. In a small sauté pan, heat the rest of the oil and the garlic over very low heat, for about 1 minute.  Once you turn the flame off, discard the garlic.

4. Add the tomatoes, cucumber, onion and beans to the farro. Drizzle the garlic flavored olive oil over the farro mixture.  Cut the basil into fine ribbons, add it to the mixture, and toss together with salt and pepper.

TIP: This salad usually tastes better the day after it is made.

 

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