Skip to main content

Farro Salad with Thinly Sliced Zucchini, Pine Nuts, and Lemon Zest

5.0

(1)

Farro is a type of hulled wheat that has been cultivated in Italy for centuries. Look for it at gourmet shops and health-food stores, where it is also sold as spelt. Other grains, such as barley or bulgur wheat, can also be used; cook them according to package instructions.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    serves 8 to 10

Ingredients

3/4 pound farro
Coarse salt
1 small shallot, minced
Grated zest and juice of 1 1/2 lemons
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup pine nuts
1 pound zucchini, ends trimmed
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
Freshly ground pepper
4 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Place the farro in a large saucepan, and add enough cold water to cover by about 3 inches. Bring to a boil over high heat; add salt, and stir once. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until the farro is al dente, according to package instructions, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, and let cool.

    Step 2

    In a small bowl, combine the shallot with the lemon juice and salt; let stand 15 minutes. Meanwhile, in a small sauté pan, heat the oil over medium heat, and add the pine nuts. Cook, stirring, until they are lightly toasted, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat, and add the lemon zest.

    Step 3

    Using a mandoline or sharp knife, slice the zucchini crosswise as thinly as possible; place in a large bowl. Add the farro, pine nut mixture, and parsley; stir to combine. Stir in shallot mixture; season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large serving bowl.

    Step 4

    Using a vegetable peeler, shave half the cheese over the salad; toss to combine. The salad can be stored up 6 hours in refrigerator, covered with plastic wrap. Just before serving, shave the remaining cheese on top.

The cookbook cover with a blue background and fine typeface.
Reprinted with permission from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook: The New Classics by Martha Stewart Living Magazine, copyright © 2007. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of The Crown Publishing Group. Buy the full book from Amazon.
Read More
Every salad should have pita chips.
Native American people made these with cornmeal dumplings, simmering them with wild grapes, which were harvested at their peak sweetness.
Spaghetti is a common variation in modern Thai cooking. It’s so easy to work with and absorbs the garlicky, spicy notes of pad kee mao well.
Cabbage is the unsung hero of the winter kitchen—available anywhere, long-lasting in the fridge, and super-affordable. It’s also an excellent partner for pasta.
Salmoriglio is a Mediterranean sauce with herbs, garlic, and olive oil. In this version, kelp is used as the base of the sauce.
This sauce is slightly magical. The texture cloaks pasta much like a traditional meat sauce does, and the flavors are deep and rich, but it’s actually vegan!
Oyster mushrooms are a strong all-rounder in the kitchen, seeming to straddle both plant and meat worlds in what they look and taste like when cooked. Here they’re coated in a marinade my mother used to use when cooking Chinese food at home—honey, soy, garlic and ginger—and roasted until golden, crisp, and juicy.
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.