Farro?  Heard of it?  Cooked with it?  Well if your answer is no to any of these questions, T.W.O. will be sure to change that to YES!  Farro is a food product composed of the grains of certain wheat species.  It is debatable about the exact definition, so we won’t get into it! Farro originated in Italy – Tuscany to be exact.  It can sometimes be called barley since they both have similar characteristics.  Okay, enough of the definition stuff, lets get cooking!

Ingredients:
– 1 ½ cup faro, uncooked
– 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
– 4 ½ cups baby kale, chopped
– ½ cup carrots, thick strips
– 1 cup corn kernels, fresh or roasted
For the dressing:
– 4 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
– 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
– 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
– 1 Tablespoon soy sauce
– 1 shallot, diced
– 1 clove garlic, diced
– 2 teaspoons parsley, chopped
– ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
– Salt
– Pepper
– Garlic powder

Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large covered saucepan.  Add the farro, pinch of salt and garlic powder. Return to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally until the farro is puffy and slightly chewy.  This should take 20-25 minutes. 

While the farro is cooking, make your dressing.  In a bowl combine the lemon juice, vinegar, Dijon mustard and soy sauce.  Mix well.  Add in shallot, garlic, parsley, olive oil, salt and pepper.

When the farro is done cooking, drain immediately and rinse with cold water.  Drain again and transfer to a bowl.  Add cherry tomatoes, corn, kale and carrots.  Mix the dressing into the farro.  Serve immediately.  T.W.O. grilled some fresh cod to go with the farro salad.  It was a delicious addition to this protein packed, flavorful salad.

Happy Cooking!