late summer farro salad

i get a little worked up when i host parties - taking the whole day off the day of a get together is normal for me. i am thrown for a loop when i only have, say a half day to get it together.

over obsessing on the littlest details is one thing i am guilty of. details that more than likely i am the only one that would take notice of, unless of course you are a martha wannabee too.

a few weekends ago, i was hosting a birthday celebration for my sister which included her new beau and my gram that has yet to visit our new home. so in my mind the pressure was on to make this dinner extra special and perfect - not for me, but for my guests.

well, perfect doesn't happen in 6 hours, but it came pretty close. justin swooped in and saved the day with a quick vacuum and a rum punch that knocked our socks off. but we aren't here to talk about the rum punch ( maybe another day), we are here to talk about this amazing and nearly perfect salad.

this salad it a total game changer.

stunning to look ate and oh so flavorful, you really can't go wrong. unless of course you are my dad who has an aversion to anything with the word pea in it- i tried to tell him that a chickpea was so completely different than a green pea...he wasn't buying it. mike, my sisters new beau, well he just didn't trust purple potatoes - we are working on that one.

despite the three boys at the table, us girls (4 in total) fell head over heels in love with this fresh and flavorful salad - we even went back for seconds.

 purple majestic potatoes are cubed and steamed, young tender purple green beans are snapped into bite size pieces, black cherry & peace vine cherry tomatoes are halved and quartered, parsley & winter savory are tossed with hearty farro & chickpeas all finished with an amazing Dijon vinaigrette.

i absolutely adored everything about this salad.

 i could live off this for the week if i had too, yes it is that amazing.

 the potatoes and chickpeas along with farro make this salad fit for a dinner time meal, but also stands in nicely as a side dish.

as this is such a hearty salad it would be a perfect addition to any potluck and tastes

fabulous at room temp.

not surprisingly, this tastes even better when left to sit for a few hours allowing the flavors to meld.

 not sure so sure about the purple potatoes, sub in another beautifully hued potato. another heirloom potato i fell in love with this summer was the mountain rose - tasty and pretty!

tell me what's your favorite hearty salad once fall and winter arrive?

Do you over obsess over throwing the perfect party?

I would love to hear!

Late Summer Farro Salad

serves 10 as a side or 5 as a main

if serving as a main throw in a hunk of crusty bread and warm soup for good measure

 you will need:

1/2 cup farro + 1 cup water

1 cup green beans, trimmed & cut into 1/2" pieces

1 cup young purple beans, snapped into bite size pieces

1 cup majestic purple potatoes, scrubbed and cut into small cubes

2 cups purple & red cherry tomatoes

(i used black cherry & peace vine)

1 can garbanzo beans, about 2 cups

handful of fresh parsley & winter savory, hand torn

for the vinaigrette

1 tbsp grainy mustard

1/4 cup rice vinegar

1/2 cup good quality extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp mirin

pinch of good quality flaky salt, plus more for finishing

assembly:

in a small sauce pot, boil water and cook farro covered for approximately 20 minutes - turn off heat and allow to sit covered until ready to use.

prep green beans & purple potatoes - steam for 5-10 minutes or until potatoes are fork tender

while potatoes and green beans are steaming, prep purple beans, cherry tomatoes & hand torn herbs- set aside in a large bowl.

in a small bowl, whisk all ingredients for vinaigrette.

add steamed potatoes, green beans & farro to the herb/ tomato/ green bean mixture. add in drained and rinsed chickpeas - pour vinaigrette over salad and toss until all elements are well coated. turn salad onto a serving platter or serve in mixing bowl - garnish with extra parsley & winter savory, sprinkle with a good flaky sea salt just prior to serving.

enjoy!