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Creamy Farro Salad with Zucchini and Parmesan

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Makes 4 to 6 servings 1x

Time 45 minutes

Units Scale

Ingredients

  • 1 lemon
  • 1 1/2 cups Bob’s Red Mill Organic Farro
  • 3 ounces Parmesan cheese, chopped (about 3/4 cup), plus more for garnish (and if you have a slice of rind, use that, too)
  • 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
  • 3 or 4 garlic cloves, peeled and left whole
  • 2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound)
  • 1 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • Pepper
  • Several sprigs fresh dill, chopped (about 1/4 cup)

Instructions

  1. Remove a 2-inch slice of peel from the lemon and scrape the pith from the inside with a small sharp knife. Juice the lemon into a small bowl and keep it handy. Put the lemon skin in a large deep skillet with a tightfitting lid (nonstick if possible). Add the farro, cheese (including the rind if using it), rosemary, garlic, and 2 1/2 cups water. (Don’t add salt yet.)
  2. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat so it bubbles steadily and cover. Cook, undisturbed, for 15 minutes.
  3. While the farro cooks, trim the zucchini and use the large holes on a box grater to shred it. Put the zucchini in a colander and toss it with 1 teaspoon salt. Let it sit where it can drain.
  4. When it’s time to check the farro, give it a few stirs. In the unlikely event the pan is almost dry, add another 1/4 water; then cover and check again in 10 minutes. The farro is ready when the kernels are barely tender and begin to burst, most of the liquid is absorbed, and the mixture is creamy not soupy. Keep cooking and stirring to that point, no more than another couple minutes. If necessary, add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
  5. Remove the skillet from the heat. Fish out rosemary stem (the leaves will stay behind), lemon peel, and cheese rind if you used it. Use a fork to mash the garlic in the pan. Squeeze handfuls of the zucchini firmly to remove as much water as possible, adding them to the farro as you work.
  6. Add the olive oil, 2 tablespoons of the reserved lemon juice, and the dill. Fluff the salad and taste. Add salt, pepper, and more lemon juice if you’d like, then fluff again. Serve at room temperature or chilled, garnished with a sprinkling of Parmesan. (You can make this salad up to several hours ahead if you’d like; just wait to add the dill until just before serving.)

—Recipe developed by The Bittman Project for Bob’s Red Mill