Farro Bowl

This farro dish was one of the best things I've made in a while. Although tonight it was served as a base for blackened salmon, I would not hesitate to feature this as a vegetarian main dish next time. The dressing was light enough to not overwhelm the flavor of the veg, and the grain was delightfully chewy and nutty.

I did use farro, an ancient Mediterranean grain.  None of the three groceries in our small rural town in Virginia carries farro, so we ordered from Amazon. Brown rice or barley could be substituted.  Since I didn't have spinach in the frig I substituted the quartered brussel sprouts. (Have I ever followed a recipe exactly??)

And did I mention the dressing?  

SO. EASY. 

3 ingredients: Dijon mustard, pomengranate juice and red wine vinegar,  no cooking, and it would be very good on a green salad or other cooked vegetables. Tonight I made a little extra & tossed those brussel sprouts in it.  The recipe calls for pomengranate juice; I used pomengranate molasses (the substitution I use is 1 cup juice =1/3 cup molasses)

1 ½ cups farro

6 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into ¾-in. chunks

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 large shallot, finely chopped (about ¼ cup)

1 cup pomegranate juice

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups baby spinach

1 medium fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced, plus chopped fronds for serving

½ cup crumbled feta cheese (about 2 oz.)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high. Stir in farro and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.

While farro cooks, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add sweet potato, ¼ cup water, and ¼ teaspoon salt; cover and steam for 5 minutes. Uncover and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until water evaporates and sweet potato is tender and browned, 10 to 12 minutes. Transfer to bowl with farro.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in same skillet over medium. Add shallot and cook, stirring often, until softened, 3 to 4 minutes. Add pomegranate juice; cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to ½ cup, 8 to 10 minutes. Whisk in vinegar, mustard, pepper, and remaining ¾ teaspoon salt. Remove from heat and gradually whisk remaining ¼ cup oil into dressing.

Add ¾ cup dressing to farro mixture and toss to coat. Add spinach and fennel; toss gently. Divide among 4 bowls and drizzle with remaining dressing. Top with cheese and garnish with fennel fronds.

Recipe originally from https://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/farro-bowl-pomegranate-vinaigrette-recipe