Charlie Bird's Farro Salad

Recipe from Debbie Zrike

Kathy H made this delicious salad for our May 2024 book club. Debbie provided the recipe, which is titled Harry Bird's Farro salad. See Note below. 

Ingredients:

1 cup pearled farro
I cup fresh apple cider
2 bay leaves
Kosher salt and ground pepper
1/2 cup of good olive oil
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup roasted salted pistachios
1 cup roughly cut fresh parsley
1 cup roughly cut fresh mint leaves
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes halved through the stem
1/3 cup radishes thinly sliced (2 to 3)
2 cups baby arugula
1/2 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Directions:

Place the farro, apple cider, bay leaves, 2 t salt, and 2 cups of water in a medium saucepan, bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer uncovered for about 30 minutes until the farro is tender. (If all the liquid is absorbed before the farro is tender, add a little more water) Drain the farro and transfer to a large serving bowl. Discard the bay leaves.

Meanwhile in a small measuring cut, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, 1 t salt, and 1/2 t pepper. Stir the vinaigrette into the warm farro and set aside for at least 15 minutes to cool.

Before serving, stir in the pistachios, parsley, mint, tomatoes, and radishes. Add the arugula and lightly fold in the parmesan cheese.

Note: A quick check on the internet, this is actually called Charlie Bird's Farro Salad. Courtesy Barefoot Contessa (Ina Garten) - Copyright 2018, Cook Like a Pro, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, All Rights Reserved. https://barefootcontessa.com/recipes/charlie-birds-farro-salad

Cozy Autumn Wild Rice Soup

Recipe from Maria Dowd

Maria followed this recipe: https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/cozy-autumn-wild-rice-soup/#tasty-recipes-60115

 
Ingredients:
 
6 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock)
1 cup uncooked 100% wild rice
8 ounces baby bella mushrooms, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium carrots, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large (about 1 pound) sweet potato, peeled and diced
1 small white onion, peeled and diced
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 (14-ounce) can unsweetened coconut milk (or see cream sauce option below*)
2 large handfuls of kale, roughly chopped with thick stems removed
Fine sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper
 
Directions
 
Instant Pot (Pressure Cooker) Method:
 
Combine base ingredients. Combine vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, garlic, carrots, celery, sweet potato, onion, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning in the bowl of an Instant Pot pressure cooker.  Stir briefly to combine.
 
Pressure cook. Cover and cook on manual (high pressure) for 25 minutes.  Let the Instant Pot rest and naturally release the pressure for 10 minutes.  Then carefully open the vent and quick release the remaining pressure.  Remove lid and discard the bay leaf.
 
Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined.  Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
 
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
 
Stove Top Method:
 
Sauté the veggies. Heat (an extra) 1 tablespoon butter or olive oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat.  Add onion and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent.  Stir in the garlic and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until fragrant.
 
Add base ingredients. Add in the vegetable stock, wild rice, mushrooms, carrots, celery, sweet potato, bay leaf and Old Bay seasoning.  Stir to combine.
 
Simmer. Continue cooking until the soup reaches a simmer.  Then reduce heat to medium-low, cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes until the rice is tender, stirring occasionally.
 
Add final ingredients. Add the coconut milk and kale to the soup, and stir gently until combined. Taste and season with salt and pepper (plus any extra Old Bay seasoning, if you would like) as needed.
Serve. Serve warm and enjoy!
 
Notes:
 
Alternate cream sauce recipe: In place of the coconut milk, you can either add 1 1/2 cups half and half.  Or you can make a cream sauce by melting 3 tablespoons of butter in a (separate) saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking in 1/4 cup flour for one minute, and then whisking in 1 1/2 cups milk until the mixture is smooth.  Let the sauce cook until it nearly reaches a simmer, at which point it will thicken, then remove from heat and add the sauce to the soup once the rice has completely cooked.
 

 

Tabbouleh

Recipe from Monica Pileggi

This is from my The Complete Mediterranean Cookbook by America's Test Kitchen cookbook, page 127.

Serves 4

3 tomatoes, cored and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup medium-grind bulgur
1/2 cup lemon juice (2 lemons)
6 T extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 Teaspoon cayenne pepper
1-1/2 cups minced fresh parsley
1/2 cup fresh mint 
2 scallions, sliced thin
 
Toss tomatoes with 1/4 teaspoon salt in fine-mesh strainer set strainer over bowl and let drain, tossing occasionally for 30 minutes; reserve 2 tablespoons drained tomato juice. 

Toss bulgur with 2 tablespoons lemon juice and reserved tomato juice in a bowl and let sit until grains begin to soften, 30 to 40 minutes.

Whisk remaining 2 tablespoons lemon juice oil, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt together in a large bowl. Add tomatoes, bulgur, parsley, mint, and scallions and toss gently to combine. 

Cover and let sit at room temperature until flavors have blended and bulgur is tender, about 1 hour. 

Before serving, toss salad to recombine and season with salt and pepper to taste.

Sweet Potato Wedges with Farro and Tahini

Recipe from Maria Dowd

This is a recipe from Maria’s cookbook: Love and Lemons Every Day: More than 100 Bright, Plant-Forward Recipes for Every Meal by Jeanine Donofrio.  She did not make it with the sweet potatoes.

See the following link for a photo of the recipe:
https://www.parentscanada.com/food/sweet-potato-wedges-with-farro-and-tahini-recipe/
 
Ingredients
 
1 medium sweet potato, halved lengthwise and cut into 12 wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Red pepper flakes (optional)
 
Lemon tahini dressing

1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice
3 tablespoons water
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
 
Herbed farro

2 cups cooked farro or soft wheat berries (see tip below)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, plus lemon wedges for serving
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons chopped chives
Pinch of cayenne pepper
2 cups baby arugula
Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

Preheat the oven to 425°F and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Place the sweet potato wedges on the baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, and season with pinches of salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Toss to coat, then spread the wedges on the baking sheet with a little space between each one. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, or until golden brown around the edges.

Make the farro: In a large bowl, toss the farro with the olive oil, salt, lemon juice, parsley, cilantro, chives, cayenne, arugula, and a few grinds of black pepper.

Arrange the farro salad on a platter and top with the roasted sweet potatoes. Drizzle with the tahini dressing. Serve with lemon wedges and red pepper flakes, if desired.

Tip

For farro: 1 cup dry + pot of water. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, 25 to 40 minutes for farro and soft wheat berries, 45 to 60 minutes for hard wheat berries, or until tender. Add more water if necessary. Drain excess water.

Curried Couscous

 

Recipe from Monica Pileggi

This is a recipe that I’ve made quite a few times and it’s always a hit. I adapted the recipe from: https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/ina-garten/curried-couscous-recipe-1951578
 

My changes are in [ ].

1 1/2 cups couscous
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups boiling water [I use low sodium chicken broth. You can use vegetable broth too]
[I added 1/4 t of salt to the water]
 
1/4 cup plain yogurt
1/4 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
1 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt [Too much in my opinion! I only used 1/2 teaspoon]
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
[I added a pinch of sugar]
 
1/2 cup small-diced carrots
1/2 cup minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup dried currants or raisins [I used dried cranberries]
1/4 cup blanched, sliced almonds [Or more]
2 scallions, thinly sliced (white and green parts)
1/4 cup small-diced red onion
[I added a can (15.5 oz) drained garbanzo beans]
 
Place the couscous in a medium bowl. Melt the butter in the boiling water [add the salt before boiling the water] and pour over the couscous. Cover tightly and allow the couscous to soak for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
 
Whisk together the yogurt, olive oil, vinegar, curry, turmeric, salt, and pepper. Pour over the fluffed couscous and mix well with a fork. [I doubled the yogurt dressing, as the couscous soaked up the dressing and was a little on the dry side].
 
Add the carrots, parsley, currants, almonds, scallions, and red onions, mix well, and season to taste.
 
Serve at room temperature.
 
My Comments:
 
1.5 cups of couscous makes a huge portion, even for a dinner party of 14 people. Now I just use 1 cup of couscous but keep the same measurements (along with doubling the dressing.
 
You can be creative and add whatever vegetables, dried fruits, diced grilled chicken, etc., that you like. It’s really a versatile recipe.