Composed of whole grains and seasonal vegetables and herbs, cool grain salads make a satisfying lunch, picnic, or side dish. We could probably subsist on them all spring and summer long! Here's a brilliantly fresh version with chewy farro, English peas, and sweet leeks, all tied together with a yogurt-lemon dressing.
Use fresh peas and tender baby leeks if available; otherwise, substitute frozen peas and a grown-up leek. The recipe also calls for tarragon, which has a subtle anise flavor that goes well with the peas and leeks. If you don't like tarragon, try fresh mint or thyme.
1 cup farro, soaked for one hour in water to cover and drained
2 cups water
Salt
2 baby leeks (or 1 regular leek), white and light green parts only
1 pound peas, shelled (or 1 cup frozen peas)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
1/4 cup plain Greek-style yogurt
Juice of half a lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 tablespoons coarsely chopped tarragon leaves
Cook and cool farro: Combine farro, 2 cups water, and 1 teaspoon salt in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes. Drain farro and spread out on a baking sheet to cool.
Prepare leeks: Meanwhile, clean the leeks, slice them in half lengthwise, and chop into 1/2-inch pieces. Sauté in 1 tablespoon olive oil until soft.
Blanch peas: Have ready a bowl of ice water and a slotted spoon. Bring a pan of water to boil over high heat. Add a tablespoon of salt and the peas and boil just until bright green, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Quickly remove the peas with a slotted spoon and plunge them into the ice bath to cool.
Assemble salad: In a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons olive oil, yogurt, lemon juice, and a few cracks of black pepper. Add the farro, leeks, peas, and tarragon and toss to combine. Season to taste and serve immediately or keep covered in the refrigerator.
Related: 9 Fresh and Satisfying Grain Salads
(Images: Emily Ho)
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Comments (6)
This looks lovely and perfect for this time of year.
This recipe looks great. One thing to note is if you can find farro perlato (pearled farro) you don't need to soak it and it cooks in about 20 minutes.
This looks great! Farro is an ancient grain and I like it in the summer as well. Here's our favorite way to prepare it, including tomato, red onion, lemon juice, etc.!
I just finished making this and had my first taste... Delicious! It is in the fridge chilling for tonight's dinner. I used frozen peas and a large leek, and subbed fennel fronds for the tarragon.
I love hearty grain salads, especially in the summer when I don't feel like firing up the stove. And this one is such a beauty! I've been meaning to try cooking farro at home now for awhile....this recipe may be the perfect excuse.
I made this back in June and it was lovely. The dressing is so fresh and I love the lemon and tarragon combination. The farro I used didn't seem to soften enough in the cooking time instructed. I'm wondering if I should soak it or cook longer? It was still good, but definitely on the chewier side.