Greek-ish Grain Salad

Prep: 15 mins

Cook: 20 mins

Difficulty: Easy

Servings: 4 Servings

his recipe is a part of Carla Lalli Music’s Week of Dinners. You can find all the recipes here.

I love grain salads, and I love Greek salad, and there’s not much in this world that isn’t improved by a few slabs of feta cheese. Given all that, I’m not sure why it took me so long to put them all together. This is the big salad of my dreams.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons kosher salt, plus more for seasoning
1 cup farro, soaked overnight in water if possible
2 bunches scallions, trimmed, sliced into thin rounds
1 fresh red medium-spicy chile, such as Fresno, thinly sliced into rounds
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
2 oil-packed anchovy fillets, finely chopped
1 English hothouse cucumber, roughly chopped
4 ounces black Cerignola olives, smashed, pits removed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 ounces feta cheese, cut into 1/2-inch-thick slabs
Freshly ground pepper
1 romaine heart, leaves cut crosswise into strips
1 cup fresh mint leaves

Instructions

Bring 4 quarts water to a boil over high heat and add 2 tablespoons salt. Add farro, reduce heat to a brisk simmer, and cook until al dente, 20 minutes if soaked, 30 minutes if unsoaked. Drain farro and spread out on a small rimmed baking sheet or platter to cool. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, combine scallions, chile, and vinegar and season with a 4-finger pinch of salt. Stir to combine and let sit 10 minutes for flavors to meld.
Add farro to bowl with the scallion mixture, along with anchovies, cucumber, and olives. Toss to coat, then add olive oil and feta and gently fold together. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Just before serving, add romaine and mint and toss gently to combine.