Farro Salad

I like the idea of meatless dinners, although we are not a vegetarian house. Often, I end up making a meatless dinner purely accidentally. Since I like Le Creuset on Facebook--I know, no one's shocked--I saw a recipe for farro salad. It seemed to be toted as a side dish, but the deliciousness here can be the star of tonight's dinner. I made some adjustments to our taste and I have a brand new recipe to add to my Evernote menu database.

Ingredients and Tools

• 8 ounces farro
• 8 ounces feta cheese
• 1 pint grape tomatoes
• 1/4 red ontion
• 1 lbs. spinach
• a bunch of basil
• 3 teaspoons minced garlic
• 3 teaspoons Kosher salt
• black pepper
• olive oil
• 2 large pots

Cook the farro following the package's directions and get started with the chopping. Cut the tomatoes in half. Over medium heat, add a good coating of olive oil to a large pot. How much is "a good coating" you ask? I think Rachel Ray would say 3 go 'rounds of the pan. 

Add the tomatoes and the crazy amount of garlic. We love garlic. I'll use even more the next time I make this, but you can do whatever you like in your kitchen. Although, less garlic would be a serious mistake that you'll likely regret for years. Years!

As the garlic is making your kitchen smell like all things good, prepare the feta and onion.

I am not a fan of raw onion, but Mr. Crying Cook is. He lets me win this one. I add the onions to the tomato and garlic and let that oniony "sharpness" dissipate. If you have no such problems, add your onions in at the very end and add more. I'm sure my husband would love twice as much onion, but I'm the one cooking, so...

Add the basil. I didn't bother chopping it. I just tore it right over the pot.

Wash and chop the spinach. It's going to look like a ton, but it wilts down quickly. Add the salt and pepper, stir, cover, and let the spinach wilt for a few minutes.

In about four minutes, all the spinach had wilted.

I used quick cooking farro, so it was done before the vegetables. I drained it and put it off to the side.

Finally, add the farro, feta, and toss.

You can serve this immediately, at room temperature, or cold. This seems like the perfect make-ahead meal for company. We are off to visit my husband's parents this summer and father-in-law Crying Cook likes garlic even more than his son. I know just how to adjust this for him.

Cheers to accidental vegetarianism!