Farro and Green Bean Salad Recipe

Farro and Green Bean Salad Recipe

  • 1 cup farro
  • Water
  • Salt
  • 6 ounces thin green beans
  • 1 cup pure olive oil, for frying
  • 4 large shallots, thinly sliced
  • 1 cup all-purpose flour
  • 3 cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
  • 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
  • 6 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons salted toasted hazelnuts, coarsely chopped
  • Freshly ground pepper
  1. In a medium saucepan, cover the farro with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Drain the farro and return it to the pan. Add 2 more cups of water and a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cook the farro over high heat until al dente, about 10 minutes; drain well.
  2. Meanwhile, in a saucepan of boiling salted water, cook the green beans until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes; drain. Rinse the beans under cold water and pat dry.
  3. Heat the pure olive oil in a medium saucepan. In a small bowl, toss the sliced shallots with the flour, separating them into rings. Transfer the shallots to a strainer and tap off the excess flour. Add the shallots to the hot oil and fry over high heat, stirring, until golden, about 5 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the fried shallots to paper towels to drain thoroughly; season lightly with salt.
  4. Pour off all but 1 tablespoon of the oil from the saucepan. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, stirring, until browned. Transfer to a plate.
  5. In a medium bowl, whisk the sherry and balsamic vinegars with the minced shallot, garlic and thyme. Whisk in the extra-virgin olive oil. Add the farro, green beans, hazelnuts and three-fourths of the fried shallots and toss gently. Season with salt and pepper and transfer to a platter or shallow bowl. Garnish with the remaining fried shallots and serve.