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Farro & asparagus salad with sesame-miso dressing.

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Ingredients

Scale
  • for the salad:
  • 1 1/2 cup pearled farro
  • 8–10 medium stalks of asparagus, diced (about 1 cup)
  • 1 tbsp oil
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 4–5 radishes, thinly sliced
  • for the dressing: (lightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen)
  • 1 tsp finely minced ginger
  • 1 clove finely minced garlic
  • 1/4 cup (4 tbsp) rice vinegar
  • 2 tbsp miso paste
  • 2 tbsp sesame paste or tahini (though any nut butter will work)
  • 2 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1–2 tbsp honey (to your preferred sweetness)
  • 1 tbsp olive oil

Instructions

  1. Prepare the farro according to package directions. There are many different kinds (see here for a better explanation) and each will affect the cooking time. Mine was pearled farro, and takes only about 10-15 minutes to cook through — semi-pearled will take longer and whole grain longest. For pearled farro, combine 1 1/2 cups farro with 3 cups water in a saucepot and bring to a boil. Once it boils, reduce the heat to low and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let sit for an additional 5 minutes. Drain water and fluff with a fork, then set aside to cool.
  2. Dice the asparagus. Heat oil in a wok over high heat until shimmering. Pour in the asparagus, season with salt and pepper to your liking, and saute briefly, about 30 seconds. Add the water and reduce the heat to low, then cover and let steam for 5-10 minutes, or until your desired doneness. You can check after 5 to see how it’s going. I usually find 10 minutes to be more than enough, especially when diced into small pieces. Set this aside and let cool.
  3. Combine all the ingredients for the dressing in a food processor or blender and puree until smooth, scraping down the sides as needed. If you don’t have either, just make sure to very finely mince the ginger and garlic, then whisk vigorously until combined.
  4. Finally, toss the dressing with the farro, asparagus, shredded red cabbage, and sliced radish. Serve!

Notes

I thought the salad had enough bite from the radish, so I decreased the ginger in Deb’s recipe from 1 tbsp to 1 tsp. For a little more liveliness, feel free to use the full amount. I also decreased the olive oil because the dressing was at the consistency I wanted, but again — feel free to play around with it.

Find it online: https://tworedbowls.com/2014/05/28/farro-asparagus-salad-sesame-miso-dressing/