Springy Farro Salad with Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette

It’s officially park season in San Francisco and while I’m a biiig fan of bringing veggies + dip or fixings for a cheeseboard on a picnic, I also love the idea of having a fresh, vibrant, hearty salad on hand. This one is substantial enough to have as a stand-alone meal but also pairs perfectly with a sandwich (PSA — if you’re local to SF, I highlyy recommend Luke’s Local’s Rotisserie Chicken Sandwich on a sourdough roll…WOW).

The nutty farro pairs perfectly with briny olives + capers, peppery arugula, and creamy + tender artichoke hearts. The bright, zingy preserved lemon vinaigrette is perfectly tart (I’ve been known to eat a spoonful of it) and it’s so versatile to use on other salads!

The best part is that this will keep in the fridge for a few days. If you’re planning on saving it in the fridge, I recommend holding off on adding in the arugula until you’re ready to serve — it will get soggy in the refrigerator.

I hope this one makes it into your picnic basket or weekly dinner/lunch rotation — it is SO delicious. Enjoy!

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INGREDIENTS

• For the Salad:

  • 1 cup dry farro

  • Kosher salt

  • 1 bunch asparagus, cut into 1.5-inch spears on an angle

  • 1 cup pitted castelvetrano olives, roughly chopped

  • 2 Tbsp capers, roughly chopped

  • 1 10-oz jar artichoke hearts stored in water (about 9-10 artichoke hearts), quartered

  • 2 cups packed arugula

  • 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

• For the Preserved Lemon Vinaigrette:

  • 3 Tbsp lemon juice

  • 1 Tbsp white wine vinegar

  • Kosher salt

  • 2 tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil

  • 1/4 of a preserved lemon rind, finely minced

  • Freshly ground black pepper

METHOD

1. Make the farro + blanch the asparagus:

   1. I like to cook farro just like pasta. Bring a large pot of water up to a boil and season generously with kosher salt once it’s boiling. Add in the farro and allow to cook until it has reached al dente — tender with a slight bite in the center. Cook time will depend on the type of farro you have (there’s pearled, semi-pearled, and whole farro) but it will take anywhere from 15-35 mins to cook (check the package for cooking length)

   2. Two minutes before the farro is done, drop in the asparagus spears to the pot (we’re just quickly blanching the asparagus).

   3. After two minutes, drain the asparagus and farro and spread it in a thin, even layer on a parchment-lined sheet tray. This will allow it to cool quickly.

2. Make the preserved lemon vinaigrette:

   1. While the farro is cooling, make the vinaigrette. In a small bowl or pyrex (I use these to mix my vinaigrettes), mix together the lemon juice, white wine vinegar, a pinch of kosher salt and the Dijon mustard until homogenous. A recent hack I discovered is using my milk frother to do this!

   2. With the frother on (or while whisking by hand), slowly stream in the olive oil until all of it has been added. This will take a few minutes but it’s worth it because you’ll end up with a super creamy, emulsified dressing.

   3. Fold in the minced preserved lemon and freshly ground black pepper (don’t use the frother for this step).

3. Assemble the salad:

   1. In a large bowl, toss together the cooled farro, olives, capers, artichoke hearts, arugula, asparagus and feta with the preserved lemon vinaigrette. Start off with less dressing than you’d think and work your way up, to taste. Season with flakey salt, to taste and enjoy!

NOTES

• I have a big jar of homemade preserved lemons in my fridge (they last forever!) but if you don’t have them at home, I recommend this brand which is sold in most grocery stores (or you can purchase online). The preserved lemon adds a delicious, intensely lemony flavor to the salad and adds so much interest to the flavors. That said, if you can’t find it, you can leave it out and it will still be delicious!

• This recipe is highly adaptable. For example, if it’s summertime and asparagus are out of season, you can sub in 1 cup of halved cherry tomatoes!