Farro Salad with Roasted Garlic & Thyme Dressing

Farro is a grain that’s often forgotten which is a real shame as it is both incredibly delicious and nutritious, boasting a high level of low GI prebiotic fibre to feed a healthy gut microbiome. Its nutty texture lends itself perfectly in a salad of finely shaved celery, crunchy green apple, toasted walnuts, radicchio and pecorino, that’s drowned in a dressing made from slow roasting garlic and thyme.*Hot tip – soaking your farro overnight helps to improve it’s digestibility and shorten the overall cooking time.

Lunch

Dinner

A Little Longer

Serves 4-6

Prep Time 5 Mins

Cook Time 60 Mins

Method

1
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celsius. Add the farro, cold water, salt, bay leaf and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to a large saucepan for which has a lid. Bring up to the boil, then cover and turn down the heat to a low simmer for 35-40 minutes. Cook the farro until tender, then drain any excess water and allow to cool completely.
2
Meanwhile, place the garlic and thyme onto a sheet of aluminium foil and drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Wrap tightly, then place onto the middle oven rack for 30-40 minutes or until the garlic is soft and caramelised. Allow to cool completely.
3
Remove the woody stems of the thyme and squeeze out the soft flesh from the garlic. Set aside.
4
Make the roasted garlic and thyme dressing - add the roasted garlic, thyme, anchovies, honey, lemon juice, white wine vinegar, olive oil, pepper and salt to a food processor. Blend until smooth and creamy. Set aside.
5
Assemble the salad - add the radicchio, celery, apple, parsley, walnuts and half of the pecorino to a large bowl. Pour over the dressing and toss well. Serve the salad onto a large platter and top with the remaining pecorino.