Toasted farro, oranges, cherries, honeyed almonds, apples, pickled red onions, sherry herb vinaigrette, and baby spinach.
This recipe is a hearty winter salad with lots of fresh fruits, nutty farro, sweet rosemary sherry vinaigrette, and crunchy almonds.
All of the items for this salad are really easy to make and can be made in advance. The farro takes the longest to make, so I start with it first. Toast the farro before adding the liquid to bring out its nutty flavor. The recipe calls for water or vegetable stock. I prefer to use stock made with lots of carrots for added sweetness.
Pickling the red onions also takes time but can be ready in 25 minutes. The key to the quick pickling is salting them for 5 minutes. This breaks down the cell walls of the onions and releases their liquid. The juice and vinegar finish the pickling while adding flavor and sweetness.
Once the farro and onions have been made, everything else comes together quickly. The almonds get tossed with honey and toasted. Freshly chopped rosemary gets mixed with honey, vinegar, and oil. Then it is time to cut the fruit and plate the salad. I used baby spinach for this salad because I like the sweetness. Kale would also be a tasty addition, but it is heartier than spinach. Chop the kale and toss it with the vinaigrette before platting.
Fruit & Farro Salad
Ingredients
Farro
- 1/2 cup farro
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 cups water or vegetable stock
Almonds
- 1/4 cup almonds chopped
- 1 tsp honey
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 pinch pepper
Sherry Vinaigrette
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar
- 1/4 tsp rosemary chopped fine
- 1 tsp honey
- 2 tbsp olive oil
Pickled Red Onion
- 1/4 red onion shaved
- 1/8 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 tsp sherry vinegar
Salad
- 4 cups spinach or kale
- 12 cherries halved and deseeded
- 1/2 apple sliced
- 1 orange segmented
Instructions
Farro
- Heat a pot over medium heat. Add the oil and farro. Toast the farro for 2 minutes. Add the water or stock and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low. Simmer until tender and all of the liquid is absorbed. Cool and set aside until ready to use.
Almonds
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix almond with honey, salt, and pepper. Toast in the oven for 8 minutes. Cool and set aside.
Sherry Vinaigrette
- Combine all the ingredients in a jar. Replace the lid and shake until emulsified. Set aside until ready to use.
Pickled Red Onion
- Mix shaved red onion and salt. Rest for 5 minutes, then mix with OJ and vinegar. Set aside for 20 minutes.
Salad
- Divide spinach and farro between 2 plates.. Garnish with cherries, oranges, red onion, almonds, and apples. Drizzle with vinaigrette and serve.
