Autumn crunch farro salad with Asian pear, celery, and toasted hazelnuts
Autumn crunch farro salad.
Wholesome, flavorful, crunchy.
By way of a recommendation from a food-minded friend, I was lucky enough to visit the restaurant Ned Ludd on a recent trip to Portland. Defining itself as "an American craft kitchen", Ned Ludd has all of the charm and menu items you'd expect in a Pacific Northwest restaurant with a photo of an axe in the woods on their homepage. Various pickled things, roasted brassicas, and charcuterie definitely make an appearance, as does other "good food that tells a story". Apart from delectable dishes including their delicious grilled flat bread served with olive oil (salivating just thinking about the doughy goodness), another menu item that I recall is one that we actually didn't order - a whole grain salad with a bunch of different chopped ingredients reminiscent of autumn. I specifically made a mental note to take the inspired ingredient combination of farro, arugula, asian pear, celery, toasted hazelnuts, and chevré, and try it at home. While I'm not sure if this is exactly like what they served, as again, we didn't order it, the salad was unique and delicious so I consider it an inspired-recipe win!
The fall is fading fast, but it's not too late to make use of the harvest with this salad. Also, farro is technically considered an "ancient grain" (a grain that is loosely defined as not having changed much over the last several hundred years), which is fun from a culinary sustainability standpoint and a stellar grain to have in your toolbelt. Below is an approximation (feel free to add more or less of whatever you have on hand!) and serves 4.
1 cup cooked farro*
2 large celery stalks, thinly sliced
1 asian pear, cored and thinly sliced
2 cups arugula
About 1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt
Juice of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons olive oil
1-2 ounces fresh goat cheese (chevré), crumbled
1/4 cup toasted hazelnuts**
Arugula or other edible flowers for garnish (completely optional, I just happened to have arugula and flowers growing in my raised bed)
Toss farro with celery, pear, and arugula. Salt to taste.
Put lemon juice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt in a small mason jar. Shake until combined then toss into farro mixture followed by goat cheese and hazelnuts, reserving a few to add to top.
Garnish with edible flowers (optional) and serve immediately.
*There are many ways to cook farro, but I usually just use 1 part farro to 2 parts liquid (water in this case), bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for about 30-40 minutes until farro is "al dente" (because I like it kind of firm), but soft enough to chew. In this instance, about 1/3 cup farro + 1 cup water will yield about 1 cup cooked farro. Some recipes call for cooking farro like pasta, but I feel that is an unnecessary waste of water.
**To toast hazelnuts, heat in a cast iron pan on medium-high until browned, tossing frequently, about 2 minutes and sprinkle with salt. A small amount of oil can be added to the pan and tossed with the nuts if you'd prefer a richer toasted nut.
Arugula flowers for garnish that I happened to have from my raised bed arugula - not at all mandatory, but always fun to include some edible flowers!
First Course
An exciting collaboration between a Nordic inspired porridge pop up and art.
If you know me, you know that I love porridge. During my time in Copenhagen, I was inspired by the restaurant Grød, where porridge was is not a pasty gruel that you eat just to be able to slog through your day (though grød does mean gruel in Danish), but rather a cozy bowl of deliciousness. With ingredients like heirloom rye, pea shoots, fermented rhubarb, toasted hazelnuts, and wild greens, I had a hunch that porridge could be a hit in many U.S. cities. Porridge is the epitome of hygge food, a danish word that means something along the lines of "beyond cozy" and is pronounced something along the lines of "hoo-gah". The concept of hygge has been popularized over the last year (it was shortlisted on the Oxford English dictionary's word of the year in 2016), but several years ago I returned with a new appreciation for hygge and all that goes with it, including porridge and, of course, candles. We may be approaching the first day of spring, but the weather is still ripe for hygge and, really, hygge (and porridge) can be embraced in any season if done right!
Gorgeous Koik Ceramics bowl that is similar to the one you'll take home at this event.
Since this danish epiphany, the porridge shop idea has been just a fun daydream until a few months ago when I finally put on a porridge pop up at Pizzaiolo restaurant in Oakland. I'm hoping to put on a few more at Pizzaiolo (so grateful to them for letting me crash their wonderful and cozy restaurant!), but meanwhile, I'm trying out a new concept. A few badass women maker friends and I are putting together First Course - a pop up featuring not only delicious porridge, but also limited edition art - including a hand-thrown bowl by my friend Sarah Koik (that you both eat out of and get to take home). This eat-your-porridge-keep-your-bowl idea has been a fantasy of mine, so I am ecstatic to see it come to fruition!
Other participating makers include beeswax candles made by amazing artist (and dear friend) Lauren DiCioccio, custom brass cast spoons by jeweler Christy Natsumi, and a set of cloth napkins/tea-towels hand embroidered by Nadia Lachance.
To reserve your spot at First Course, visit Sarah Owen Studios. Here's the porridge menu, just in case you need a bit more culinary enticement. Most produce is sourced from Top Leaf Farms, an urban farm less than 2 miles from the event, or it is foraged by yours truly, and millet was grown locally by Farmer Mai.
Millet and chicken tamari: Seared radish, crackling, and wood sorrel sauce.
Buckwheat, wild greens, and goat gouda: Soft-cooked egg, crispy shallots, and pea shoots.
Heirloom mixed-grain and rhubarb-apple crisp: Cardamom, yogurt, molasses, and bay nut.
I'll be sure to post a few recipes later on, but meanwhile get your tickets and see you there!
Couscous Salad with Edamame, Feta, and Mint
This bright salad will make sure you know that spring has sprung. It's very fast to prepare and ideal for picnic-type gatherings. You'll be surprised how many people ask you for the recipe!
1 cup dry whole wheat couscous
Juice of 2 medium lemons
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine or rice vinegar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lemon zest (use lemons above)
2 cups (10 ounces) fresh or frozen shelled edamame beans
1/2 cup finely diced mint
3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
Bring 1 cup of water to boil and then remove from heat. Stir in dry couscous and cover with a lid. Allow to sit for 7 minutes, then remove lid and fluff couscous with a fork.
Whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, vinegar, and salt. Remember to zest lemon first for the next step.
Once couscous has cooled to room temperature, toss in zest, edamame, mint, feta, and dressing.
Serve cold or at room temperature.
