Arugula and Farro Salad with Peaches Recipe
Mr. Picky is my third child, my 10-year-old son. He is a perfect child in every way, however he is rather picky when it comes to food. I know some people think that Mr. Picky is not at all picky because he eats things like lentils and beans and salmon. True. But he won’t eat an unbelievable amount of other, basic things, like eggs, cheese, and most cooked vegetables. Mr. Picky thinks the name I gave him is funny and doesn’t want me to refer to him as anything else on my blog. And since I am not worried that he is picky, the name can stay for now.
“Would Mr. Picky eat this?” That’s what many of my cooking class students will ask me when we are making something outside of the kid cuisine box, so to speak. Most people have a picky child and therefore struggle will meal planning and mealtime. I can get frustrated too, but in general I don’t sweat it because I truly believe that if I continue to provide a wide variety of nutritious whole foods on a regular basis, something will click one day and he will turn into a better eater. This is not a post about raising a healthful eater, but more to address how I make something like this delicious Arugula and Farro Salad with Peaches and get my son to eat it. It’s called “deconstruction.”
I know what Mr. Picky won’t eat, in the case of this salad that would be vinaigrette, arugula and cheese. No problem. First I ask him if this is the day he would like to try the salad with vinaigrette. 90% of the time he says, “I’m not ready yet.” No problem. So I deconstruct the salad and give him a scoop of plain farro (it’s like brown rice, I tell him), almonds and peaches. If I have some romaine lettuce in the fridge, I’ll give him some of that, too.
Arugula is a peppery, almost a little spicy, green. I love it, but I didn’t when I was 10. But I just can’t see only making recipes that are Mr. Picky-approved. That would be cooking to the lowest common denominator and that’s never a good idea.
I taught this salad last summer in my classes and just last week in Jenni Kayne’s Fourth of July class with The Chalkboard. This is the perfect salad for entertaining and I have even eaten a version of this for a lunch at home with my Everyday Salad Dressing #2. You don’t need the farro, but it does make the salad heartier which is helpful if you don’t want to eat the ribs or steak options at your BBQ. And if you are gluten-intolerant, unfortunately you can’t eat farro, but millet or quinoa would work well here. In any case, everything can be prepped in advance so all you have to do is assemble at mealtime. I have also done a version of this salad with pitted cherries and Pecorino. I think nectarines or blackberries would also be amazing. For that matter, any stone fruit or berry would be perfect. Yay summer!
Arugula and Farro Salad with Peaches
Ingredients
- ¾ cup farro*
- pinch of kosher salt
- 6 ounces arugula
- 2 peaches chopped
- ¼ cup chives chopped
- Dressing:
- 3 Tablespoons Champagne vinegar or white wine vinegar
- 2 teaspoons raw honey
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- a few grinds freshly ground black pepper
- 5 Tablespoons unrefined cold-pressed extra-virgin olive oil
- a sprinkle of chopped or sliced nuts such as almonds or walnuts (I used Marcona almonds here)
- a sprinkle of cheese such as feta, gorgonzola or shaved Manchego, Parmesan or Pecorino (I used shaved Manchego here)
Instructions
- Place farro in a medium saucepan with water to cover by at least three inches and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cook until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain well. If using right away, rinse with cold water to cool down.
- In a medium bowl or a glass jar with a fitted lid, combine all dressing ingredients.
- Place the arugula, farro, chives, and peaches in a serving bowl and drizzle with enough dressing to lightly coat. Toss gently.
- Add chopped nuts and/or crumbled cheese, if desired.
Notes
16 Comments
Made this yesterday for our 4th party, super delicious! Thank you!!
Glad to hear it! It is one of my summer staples 🙂
I have a picky one who would eat this salad! so trying to figure out a plan for winter. any suggestions for replacement to the peaches? i tried apples and it was eh…..
What about pears or roasted apples? Tangerines would also be yummy and my kids love them!
Really delicious salad! My family loved it! Quick questions – been making a lot of your dressings. Do you have a brand of olive oil you recommend for salad dressings, etc? Also – is unfiltered the same as unrefined?
Great! Unrefined means it has not been processed with heat or chemical solvents. Unfiltered means any microscopic bits of olives or sediment haven’t been filtered out. Refining is bad for the oil and oxidizes it. Filtering is no big deal.
Pamela, thank you for sharing. Love this salad.. the combination of faro and arugula makes it a very nutty, very gourmet and it is relatively easy to prepared. Once it is plated, it makes for a beautiful presentation.
Yes, exactly why I love it. Thank you, Dalia!
I made this tonight with dinner! Delicious! Great change from typical salad/side dish. Really enjoyed it. The farro was awesome in it! I added shaved parmesean and it was fantastic! Loved it! Thanks!
So happy to hear, thank you!
What a delightful salad! The combination of ingredients is wonderful; the dressing is not overpowering; and it seems to be quite flexible. I used a combination of peaches and nectarines, toasted pecans and a goat blue cheese (Montchevre). Do you think spinach would work as well?
Many thanks!
Sure! I prefer arugula since the pepperiness is a great contrast to the sweet of the peaches. But I am sure that spinach will work beautifully!
I will have to try this. Where do you get your farro, and do you use whole, semi-pearled or pearled? I imagine whole is best from a nutritional perspective, but may be hard to find.
Good point. I buy mine at Whole Foods and it isn’t labeled as such, but I know it is semi-pearled. Hulled would take way to long!
Sounds and looks wonderful! Can I substitute farro for wheat berries? (All i have on hand)
Absolutely! You probably know this, but keep in mind wheat berries take much longer to cook, about an hour. Enjoy!