Greek Farro Salad

Serves 4 to 6 Due to great demand for this salad, I feel it's time to start adding more recipes, beginning with this one! Farro is a nutty grain, similar to barely. In the summer, it's a fabulous side dish for grilled meats or fish. Great with grilled lamb. Once you've mastered this recipe, you'll find ways to incorporate seasonal vegetables. This one works all year round.

• 1 cup farro
• 1 large tomato, or 4 small, cut into chunks
• 1 English cucumber, halved, seeded, and cut into chunks
• 1/2 red onion, diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper, halved, cored, and cut into chunks
• 1/2 cup pitted Kalamata olives
• 6 large basil leaves, torn into pieces
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tsp kosher salt
• 1tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 2-ounce block feta cheese

Bring 3 cups of salted water to a boil.

Add the farro, reduce heat to medium-low, and cover.

Simmer farro till tender, about 20 minutes,

Drain and rinse the farro in cold water, making sure most of the water is drained.

While the farro is draining, add the tomato, cucumber, onion, bell pepper, olives and basil to a mixing bowl. Add the farro, toss, then add the oil and lemon juice, toss again, add the salt and pepper, toss. Taste, season with more salt or lemon or pepper.

Put the salad on an oval platter, top with the feta and add whole basil leaves, (if you want) for decoration.

Hope you enjoy this salad as much as my family and friends do. It makes for a great pot luck dish as well, can be made a day ahead or on the same day few hours earlier.