farro, mint, and zucchini salad with roasted goat cheese! such a delicious and herb-filled grain salad from @loriastern’s cookbook Eat Your Flowers! we got together and cooked this beauty — my favorite part was the roasted goat cheese! they get an almost crouton-like texture, soo good.
RECIPE (serves 2-4)
1¼ teaspoons kosher salt, plus more to taste
1½ cups (270 g) pearled farro
3 medium zucchini (500 g), sliced into ¼-inch-thick rounds
3 medium shallots (100 g), thinly sliced
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ cup (54 g) olive oil
Zest of 2 lemons
1 tbsp fresh lemon juice (from about ½ lemon)
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
One 6-ounce log goat cheese, roughly chopped or crumbled with your hands (easier if the goat cheese is cold)
2 cups (40 g) fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons (5 g) fresh oregano, finely chopped
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400°F. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan, bring 6 cups (1½ quarts/1.4 kg) water to a boil with I tsp of the salt. Add the farro and boil until soft, about 40 minutes. Strain the farro and discard the water. Spread the cooked farro on a clean sheet pan in one layer to let the grains dry out for up to 1 hour.
Meanwhile, combine the zucchini, shallots, garlic, and 2 tbsp of the olive oil on the parchment-lined sheet pan. It’s okay if the vegetables overlap. Roast for 30 minutes, until the zucchini is golden brown. Set the zucchini mixture aside on a plate; you’ll reuse the sheet pan and parchment.
Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix together the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, vinegar, and the remaining ¼ tsp salt. Toss in the cooked farro.
Spread out the cheese on the parchment-lined sheet pan and roast for about 10 minutes, until the cheese turns golden brown.
In a large bowl, toss the farro, roasted zucchini, mint, oregano, and dressing. Sprinkle on the roasted goat cheese.
Season with pepper and adjust the salt to your liking. Serve warm, at room temperature, or cold.