Quick Dinner: Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

I am not in the least it ashamed to admit that I devoured this salad in heaping, sloppy, arugula-falling-out-of-my-mouth gulps.  The only change I would make is doubling the recipe so I could have more leftovers (this yields about two servings).  This all started with a delicious, but unsatisfying salad recipe I tried in the fall semester.  It was arugula, orange segments, thinly sliced red onion, and shaved raw fennel. The flavor was incredible, but even copious amounts left me still feeling hungry.  This salad takes those delicious salad elements and makes them something much more satisfying.  All of that plus it's done in about thirty minutes and is a great protein packed meal to make when "just a few more emails" becomes two extra hours in the office.

Start by cooking the farro.  Farro is a grain that is both delicious and super high in protein, which is part of the reason it doesn't leave you feeling hungry.  I use Trader Joe's Ten-Minute Farro because it cooks in fifteen minutes.  I don't understand the name either.  Bring one cup of farro and two cups of broth or salted water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes until the water is mostly absorbed.

While the farro is cooking make the dressing.  I like to make dressing in a mason jar because it is easy to seal and shake up instead of having to wash a whisk and you can store leftover dressing in it.  Squeeze half of an orange into the mason jar and add 1/4 cup of chives, one crushed garlic clove, a tablespoon of dijon mustard, half a cup of olive oil and salt and pepper.  Seal the jar and shake it vigorously until the dressing is completely combined.  Taste for seasoning and add additional salt and pepper if necessary.

Finely dice about a quarter of a large red onion and slice half a head of fennel.  Heat your grill or grill pan to high.  The goal is to have a short and quick cooking time for the fennel so it is nicely charred and caramelized, but not cooked through entirely.  If you don't have a grill pan cook the fennel quickly under the broiler in your oven.  Coat the grill in olive oil and season the fennel with salt and pepper before grilling until nicely charred, about four minutes.

When the farro is done (it should be al dente - softened, but with some bite) drain and additional liquid and put in a bowl.  Add about half of the dressing and stir to combine.  Place in the refrigerator to cool slightly - the farro should not be so hot that it wilts the arugula.  While the farro cools (about ten minutes) chop the grilled fennel into half-inch cubes.  When the farro has cooled add the red onion, fennel, and two or three handfulls of arugula (about two cups).  Add a little bit more dressing to coat the vegetables and toss to combine.

Farro, Arugula, and Grilled Fennel Salad

Ingredients

For the Dressing

• 1/4 cup of orange juice (about half an orange)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 clove of garlic, crushed
• 1/4 cup chopped chives
• 1 tb. dijon mustard
• salt and pepper

For the Salad

• 1 cup of farro, uncooked
• 2 cups of broth, or water
• 2 cups arugula
• 1/2 bulb of fennel
• 1/4 large red onion

Instructions

1. Bring 1 cup of farro and 2 cups of water to a boil and simmer for 10-15 minutes
2. While fennel cooks combine all dressing ingredients and whisk together (or shake vigorously in a mason jar)
3. Slice fennel and finely dice red onion
4. Heat an oiled grill pan and season fennel with salt and pepper.  Grill fennel until charred, but not cooked through, about four minutes
5. Chop fennel into 1/2 inch cubes
6. Combine cooked farro with half of dressing and cool for 10 minutes in the refrigerator 
7. When farro has cooled add arugula,  fennel, and red onion with a few more tablespoons of dressing and toss to combine.