VeganMoFo: Farro Salad

mmm... last night's dinner & still delicious for today's lunch.

A while back, I bought a fancy-looking package of "Semipearled Farro." It looked so alluring! But then, as usual, when I don't have a specific plan for my fancy impulse purchase... it had been sitting in my cupboard for far too long. Determined not to let my farro go to waste, I whipped up this delicious salad. As a bonus, it helped put a small dent in the overflowing bowls of cherry tomatoes from our garden. Check out those gigantic white beans from the farmers' market! I bought one pound at the market yesterday... I don't know what kind they were, because they were simply labeled "Gigantic Beans."

Here's the recipe:
1 heaping cup of semipearled farro
1 - 1 1/2c cherry tomatoes - individually cut in half
1 1/2 c large beans, or 1 c regular white beans (cooked)
1/2 red bell pepper - cut into 1/2 inch dice
1 red cipollina onion (or 1/2 of a small red onion) - finely diced
1 celery stalk, cut into 1/2" dice
1/4 c fresh parsely, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. fresh basil, finely chopped
10-12 kalamata olives, chopped up
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 - 2 Tbsp red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste

Bring some salted water to a boil. Add the farro, turn the heat to medium-low and cook at a lively simmer for 20-30 minutes until it's tender to your tastes. Meanwhile, do all your chopping and such. I had fresh shell beans, so I simmered them during this time as well - about 15 minutes because they were huge. Once the farro is done, drain, and rinse with cold water. Add to a medium sized serving bowl and add the olive oil. Toss well. You can proceed with warm farro, or you can wait for the farro to cool. Either way, it's very yummy. Add all the rest of the ingredients - add more salt, pepper, vinegar or olive oil to suit your tastes. mmmm.

tasty, filling, seasonal, and colorful! perfect-o!