Brooke’s Carrot-Farro Salad Recipe

Directions

In a large saucepan, combine 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the onions and garlic and sweat over medium heat until they’re translucent, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the farro and toast for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure the onions and garlic don’t brown. Add the brown sugar, carrot juice and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until the farro is al dente — chewy but still firm, 20 to 30 minutes.

Add the diced carrots and continue to cook, stirring often, until the farro is cooked through and the carrots are tender, 10 to 15 minutes.

Taste the farro and season with salt, if needed, then drain in a colander (save any leftover cooking liquid in the refrigerator to use in a salad dressing). Spread the farro out on a large sheet pan and drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil, stirring to coat it well. Let it sit at room temperature until cool.

Place the cooled farro in a large bowl and toss with the lemon zest, lemon juice, shallot, radishes and cilantro. (The salad can be made to this point up to one day ahead and refrigerated.)

When ready to serve, add the diced avocado, gently stir, and finish with the sesame seeds and a few twists of black pepper.

Note: Look for farro from brands like Bob’s Red Mill or Earthly Choice. Make sure your farro isn’t “quick-cooking” or that the package doesn’t say “cooks in 10 minutes.”

 

Cook With José

Two more recipes from The World Central Kitchen Cookbook for AARP members to try:

Marinated Queso Fresco

This recipe features a mild, semisoft cheese and honors Puerto Rican sisters Glorimel Torrado and Carmen Rivera and their cheese-making business.

Qorma-E-Nakhod

Nadia Ghulam’s dish is a warm, comforting vegetarian stew of chickpeas and spices, topped with a creamy cumin-flecked goat cheese sauce.

Read about José Andrés’ cookbook, The World Central Kitchen.