Ok, this week, we’re breaking all the rules! Our pickiest salad club member is on vacation, so bring on the asparagus and meat!
Asparagus season is just starting, with the peak of it being in May. If interested, read about the urine effects of asparagus on wikipedia. I apparently don’t have the special autosomal genes required to smell the odorous compounds, but I’m alright with that. I will spare you the chemistry that goes on here.
This is a hearty salad. One plateful alone must have weighed over a pound. The recipe calls for farro. All we could find at Mollie Stones was semi-pearled farro. This is a new term for me. Apparently there are 3 types of farro:
- hulled, with all of the outer bran intact
- semi-pearled, with a portion of the outer bran removed, and
- cracked, with the entire outer bran removed and broken into small coarse pieces
Only the hulled type needs to be pre-soaked. We didn’t know this and ended up soaking it. I think this just ended up making it softer than it was supposed to be. It also may have made it stickier too, almost like oatmeal. Don’t do what we did, just cook the farro you find according to the instructions on the package.
All in all, this salad was still really good. The cranberries added a nice sweetness and the walnuts a crunchy texture. It was nice to work with a new ingredient for a change.
Recipe adapted from allrecipes.com.
Ingredients
makes 6 servings
- 2 cups farro, uncooked
- 3/4 pound fresh asparagus, trimmed
- 1 cup red and yellow cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3/4 cup chopped walnuts
- 3/4 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
- 1/3 cup chopped fresh chives
- 1 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
Dressing:
- 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
Cook farro according to package. Cool before using in salad. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus, and cook uncovered until tender, about 3 minutes. Drain in a colander, then immediately immerse in ice water for several minutes until cold to stop the cooking process. Once the asparagus is cold, drain well, and chop. Set aside. Toss all ingredients together with balsamic vinegar and parmesan cheese right before serving.
