Farro and Roasted Capsicum Salad
Inroduction
About this Recipe
By: Sheridan Rogers
This healthy colourful salad is fromYotam Ottolenghi’s book Plenty (Ebury Press), a fabulous book of recipes for vegetarians. “Farro is the Italian name for an old wheat variety similar to emmer or spelt. It can be eaten by some people who are normally intolerant to wheat. It is sold in a few forms – whole, semi-pearled and pearled – and the one you use will determing the cooking time which can be anywhere between 15 minutes and an hour. When done, it should be tender but reatain a real bite. You can buy it in gourmet delis and at Wild Basket. Alternatively use pearled spelt or pearl barley,” says Ottolenghi
Ingredients
- farro 150g
- red capsicum 2
- black olives 10, stoned, quartered lengthways
- fresh oregano or picked thyme leaves 1 tablespoon, chopped
- spring onions 3, thinly sliced
- fetta 100g, broken into chunks
- medium lemon 1, juice of
- olive oil 3 tablespoons
- honey 1 tablespoon
- ground allspice 1/4 teaspoon
- smoked paprika 1/4 teaspoon, plus extra for garnish
- garlic 1/2 clove, crushed
- salt 1/4 teaspoon
Serves 4 as a starter or salad Place the farro in a pan of boiling water and simmer until just tender. Drain, rinse under cold water and leave to dry. Meanwhile, prepare the capsicum: preheat grill to high. Use a small sharp knife to cut around the stalk of each capsicum and lift it out with seeds attached. Place capsicums on the grill pan and grill, turning every now and then, until totally black on the outside – this will take about 30 minutes. When ready, remove from grill and cover with foil. Once cool enough to handle, remove and discard the skin. Tear by hand into slices about 1cm wide. To make the dressing: whisk together all the dressing ingredients in a bowl and set aside. Place the cooked faro in a large mixing bowl and add the capsicum, olives, oregano or thyme, spring onions and most of the fetta, reserving some to finish. Pour over the dressing and gently mix everything together. Taste and add more salt if you life. To serve: pile up the salad on a plate or in a bowl and finish with the reserved fetta and a sprinkle of paprika.