Antipasto Farro Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
a hearty farro salad full of classic antipasto ingredients – fresh mozzarella, olives, artichokes, sopressata, pepperoncini – and tossed in a sun-dried tomato vinaigrette
servings: 8
Ingredients
Scale
Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 3 tbsp lemon juice
- 1 tbsp honey
- 4 garlic cloves, grated
- ½ tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 (8.5 oz) jar sun-dried tomatoes in olive oil
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
- kosher salt
Antipasto Farro Salad
- 1 ½ cups farro, rinsed
- olive oil
- ½ cup roughly chopped walnuts
- 1 fennel bulb, cored + diced
- 4 cups arugula
- 8 oz “ciliegine” fresh mozzarella, drained
- ¾ cup halved castelvetrano olives
- ¾ cup quartered artichokes
- ½ cup diced sopressata
- ½ cup sliced pepperoncini or banana peppers
Instructions
- For the sun-dried tomato vinaigrette: combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a mixing bowl. Whisk to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil from the sun-dried tomato jar plus the ¼ cup of olive oil, whisking continuously. Dice the sun-dried tomatoes. Stir them in, along with the parsley and oregano. Season with salt to taste.
- For the salad: bring a 4-5qt pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farro. Bring the water back to a boil, reduce the heat to medium, and gently boil the farro for 25 minutes. Drain the farro and spread it onto a parchment-lined sheet pan (or other large surface) to cool.
- Meanwhile, heat a 12” skillet over medium heat. Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. Once hot, add the walnuts. Toast for a minute or so until golden and fragrant. Season with a pinch of salt. Transfer the walnuts to a plate.
- Wipe out the skillet and return it to medium heat. Add another layer of olive oil. Add the diced fennel. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring often. Reduce the heat to low and finish cooking for another 3 minutes or so until tender. Season with a pinch of salt.
- Combine the farro, walnuts, fennel, arugula, fresh mozzarella, olives, artichokes, sopressata, pepperoncini, and half of the vinaigrette in a large mixing bowl. Toss to combine. Arrange the salad in a large serving dish and drizzle the remaining vinaigrette over top. Garnish with any extra fresh herbs or fennel fronds.