Chef Graziella
Cavolo Cappuccio in Insalata
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Insalata di Farro alla Toscana
Created by
The ancient grain of the Roman legions, chewy and nutty, tossed with summer vegetables and dressed with nothing more than superb olive oil and a whisper of red wine vinegar. This is how Tuscans have eaten for centuries.
Salads
Italian, Tuscan
Meal Prep
Potluck
Make Ahead
25 min
Active Time
35 min cook•1 hr total
Yield6 servings
Farro is not a trendy grain. It is possibly the oldest cultivated wheat in existence, the grain that built Rome, the food that sustained legionaries on their march across the known world. That it has become fashionable in American restaurants does not change what it is: peasant food from the hills of Tuscany, where farmers grew it because soft wheat would not thrive in rocky soil.
This salad requires restraint. Americans want to add feta cheese, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts. They want to turn a simple Tuscan grain salad into a Mediterranean greatest hits compilation. Resist this impulse. The farro itself has flavor: nutty, slightly sweet, with a pleasant chew that no other grain matches. Your job is to support that flavor, not bury it.
The vegetables must be ripe and seasonal. Tomatoes in January will ruin this dish no matter what else you do. Wait for summer. Wait for tomatoes that smell like tomatoes. The cucumber should be crisp, the herbs freshly picked. And the olive oil must be Tuscan if you can find it, grassy and peppery, the kind that catches in your throat. This is where you taste it most directly.
Farro, the emmer wheat of antiquity, gave Rome its word for flour: 'farina.' For centuries it was the primary grain of central Italy, falling from favor only when softer wheat varieties arrived from the East. Tuscan farmers in the Garfagnana valley never abandoned it, and their stubbornness preserved a tradition that now feeds the world's renewed appetite for ancient grains.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
farro
Quantity
1 1/2 cups
semi-perlato preferred
kosher salt
Quantity
to taste
ripe tomatoes
Quantity
1 pound
at room temperature
English cucumber
Quantity
1 large, or 3 Persian cucumbers
red onion
Quantity
1/2 small
extra virgin olive oil
Quantity
1/3 cup, plus more for drizzling
red wine vinegar
Quantity
2 tablespoons
garlic
Quantity
1 small clove
fresh basil leaves
Quantity
1/2 cup
torn
fresh flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
2 tablespoons
chopped
black pepper
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| farrosemi-perlato preferred | 1 1/2 cups |
| kosher salt | to taste |
| ripe tomatoesat room temperature | 1 pound |
| English cucumber | 1 large, or 3 Persian cucumbers |
| red onion | 1/2 small |
| extra virgin olive oil | 1/3 cup, plus more for drizzling |
| red wine vinegar | 2 tablespoons |
| garlic | 1 small clove |
| fresh basil leavestorn | 1/2 cup |
| fresh flat-leaf parsleychopped | 2 tablespoons |
| black pepperfreshly ground | to taste |
Equipment Needed
- •Large pot for cooking farro
- •Large serving bowl
- •Colander
Instructions
- 1
Cook the farro
Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it generously, as you would for pasta. Add the farro and reduce to a steady simmer. Cook until the grains are tender but retain a pleasant chew, 25 to 35 minutes depending on your farro. Taste frequently after 20 minutes. The grain should yield to your teeth without being soft or mushy. Drain thoroughly.
Semi-perlato farro, with the bran partially removed, cooks in about 25 minutes without soaking. Whole farro requires overnight soaking and longer cooking. Perlato, fully pearled, cooks quickly but sacrifices some nutrition and flavor. Know what you have. - 2
Prepare the dressing
While the farro cooks, prepare the dressing. Crush the garlic clove with the flat of your knife and rub it vigorously around the inside of your serving bowl. The garlic should perfume the bowl, nothing more. Discard the clove. Add the olive oil and red wine vinegar to the bowl with a generous pinch of salt. Whisk to combine.
- 3
Dress the warm farro
Add the drained farro to the bowl while it is still slightly warm. Toss thoroughly to coat every grain with the dressing. The warm grain absorbs flavor in a way that cold grain cannot. Let it cool to room temperature, tossing occasionally. This takes about 20 minutes.
Dressing warm grains is essential. This is not optional. Cold farro dressed later will taste flat and oily rather than seasoned throughout. - 4
Prepare the vegetables
Core the tomatoes and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Let them drain briefly in a colander if they are very juicy. Peel the cucumber if the skin is thick or waxed, then cut into half-moons or small dice. Slice the red onion paper-thin. If the onion is sharp, soak the slices in cold water for 10 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
- 5
Combine and season
Add the tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion to the cooled farro. Toss gently. Add most of the basil and all of the parsley. Toss again. Taste and adjust salt. The salad should taste bright and well-seasoned. Add more vinegar by the half teaspoon if it tastes flat. Grind black pepper generously over all.
- 6
Rest and serve
Let the salad rest at room temperature for at least 15 minutes before serving, allowing the flavors to marry. The salad improves over the first hour. Just before serving, scatter the remaining torn basil over the top and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Serve at room temperature, never cold.
This salad travels well and improves with time, making it ideal for potlucks. Do not refrigerate if serving within a few hours. The cold dulls the tomatoes and hardens the farro.
Chef Tips
- •Seek out farro from Tuscany or Umbria if you can. The grain grown in Italy has a deeper, nuttier flavor than domestically produced farro. Specialty grocers and Italian importers carry it.
- •The garlic here is a whisper. You rub the bowl, you discard the clove. Anyone who wants more garlic does not understand what they are making. The unbalanced use of garlic is the single greatest cause of failure in would-be Italian cooking.
- •If your tomatoes are not ripe, if they are mealy or pale, if they have no perfume, do not make this salad. Make something else. Wait for summer.
- •This salad only improves over the first day. It is better at room temperature after two hours than it is immediately after assembly. It remains excellent for potlucks and picnics.
Advance Preparation
- •The farro can be cooked, drained, and dressed up to one day ahead. Refrigerate, then bring to room temperature before adding vegetables.
- •The complete salad keeps well for two days refrigerated. Bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving and add fresh basil.
- •For potlucks, prepare the salad in the morning. It will be at its best by afternoon.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 260g)
Calories
270 calories
Total Fat
13 g
Saturated Fat
2 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
10 g
Cholesterol
0 mg
Sodium
300 mg
Total Carbohydrates
36 g
Dietary Fiber
4 g
Sugars
3 g
Protein
7 g
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