Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1cup farro
- 1cup apple cider
- 2teaspoons kosher salt, more as needed
- 2bay leaves
- 8tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 70grams Parmesan cheese, shaved with a vegetable peeler (½ cup)
- 70grams chopped pistachio nuts (½ cup)
- 2cups arugula leaves
- 1cup parsley or basil leaves, torn
- 1cup mint leaves
- ¾cup halved cherry or grape tomatoes
- ⅓cup thinly sliced radish
- Maldon or other flaky sea salt, for finishing
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
398 calories; 27 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 17 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 32 grams carbohydrates; 6 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 12 grams protein; 409 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a medium saucepan, bring farro, apple cider, salt, bay leaves and 2 cups water to a simmer. Simmer until farro is tender and liquid evaporates, about 30 minutes. If all the liquid evaporates before the farro is done, add a little more water. Let farro cool, then discard bay leaves.
- Step 2
In a salad bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Add farro, cheese and pistachio nuts and mix well. This salad base will keep for up to 4 hours at room temperature or overnight in the refrigerator (bring to room temperature before serving). Just before serving, fold in arugula, herbs, tomatoes, radish and flaky salt to taste.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
PSP
When discussing these notes and peoples' tribulations with farro cooking time my wife - something of a farro aficionado - pointed out that there are pearled and non-pearled versions available. Apparently the non-pearled takes twice as long to cook. Perhaps this is the source of confusion over cooking times?
I used pearled (without knowing the difference at the time) and it was perfect - a little nutty with a very slight crunch but perfectly edible - in 30 minutes using hard cider as liquid.
E
This is such a fantastic recipe, although as others noted, the salt added in to the farro is too much, especially once you put the salty parmesan on top. I roasted some sweet potato in chunks to add instead of the tomatoes to make a more autumn-y salad, I thought it was delicious and wished I had made more of the farro to make it last longer! The base easily lasted 5 days in my fridge and made for delicious lunches at the office.
anichila
This was good but with some adjustments:
Made this with Trader Joe's 10-minute farro so I used 1C apple cider and 1C water and only simmered for 15 minutes. I cut down on the olive oil and did NOT add salt. (The first time I made this the 2 tsp of salt overpowered everything and I had to throw the farro out.)
Deb
The recipe calls for apple cider, not apple cider vinegar! I imagine soaking farro in vinegar would make for a pretty nasty experience. LOL
Cheryl
Cooked the first batch of farro with the amount of salt listed for the cooking liquid. It was way too salty--and I'm the person who eats the salt out of the bottom of the pretzel bag. So I threw that batch away and used just 1 scant tsp of salt. That worked well, and the cider adds a nice flavor to the farro.
Very tasty, and a pretty dish when it's done.
Francine
Quick question for the editors: Does Charlie Bird use pearlized or non-pearlized farro in the original recipe? I have made this with both--and the result is dramatically different with pearlized farro. Thanks.
Nena
I don't normally write reviews, but I wanted to add that this salad was amazing, and one of the most popular dishes at Thanksgiving this year! I initially thought the combination of ingredients seemed weird/random, but they go together so well! I also added much less salt and only half the mint. Yummy!
Kathy P
I accidentally used apple cider vinegar. Loved it. Go easy on the salt. Red Mill farro is best. Great recipe. I make it regularly.
Val
I didn't see this coming. It sounded good, and reviews were exuberant, but it truly is delicious. Farrow is new to me, so nutty and tasty. Will be making again and again. I love this site. Have nearly abandoned my cookbooks....
Mary S.
I have altered this recipe to get me through the winter by using winter vegetables such as parsnips and beets instead of arugula and other "spring" ingredients, adding chopped dates - all of which are lovely combinations with the pistachios
Kaitlin Y.
Ok. So this is a little crazy, but the first time I made this, I misread "apple cider" to be "apple cider vinegar," which seems like it would have been a fatal error, but I have made this multiple times, and even though I know it should be made with apple cider, I can't not make it with apple cider vinegar. The end result is just so good. The vinegariness of the farro marries with the oil and lemon, so that it tastes like the dressing has seeped all the way in. Would recommend giving it a shot.
Thyra Porter
eight TB of olive oil? Great way to ruin a healthy salad. I'll bet it tastes good, but that is too much oil. You don't need it with the flavor that comes from cooking the farro in cider.
Curtis Hartman
Too salty, even with kosher salt, which is about 1/2 as salty as convetional table salt. Do not salt the dressing, and cut the salt in the cooking liquid in half. Other than that, this is a total winner.
eleni
it is important re. the cooking time to know if you have pearled or non-pearled farro ! non-pearled will take twice as long....
TF
Made it to the letter. It was good. I like the addition of the cider and bay leaf to the farro. The mint was nice too.
Try a version inspired by Outerlands in San Francisco which is arugula, farro, red and golden beets, parm, and a light champagne vinigarette.
Ellen
used TJ's 10 min. farro, otherwise followed as directed. Very easy, healthy and good. 4 stars, not 5.
Emily
Used half the mint and 1.5 lemons. Reduced oil to 6 TBL. Subbed roasted diced sweet potatoes for the tomato and plan to try butternut squash soon. I seasoned the roasted veggies well with a bbq rub. Reduce salt in cooking the farro.
beth parkinson
I made the farro , cooled and added dressing. I only used 4 TBSP of EVOO. It was plenty. I made a salad with 1/2 cup of cooked farro (which I had dressed) and added some pistachios, arugula, Parmesan and yellow cherry tomatoes. It was delicious. I agree it was salty. Would only cook the farro with 1 tsp of salt moving forward. It’s not excessively sweet so cooking the farro in the cider is not a problem if you are worried about it being sweet. I have leftover dressed farro to work with.
Susan F.
In a word, superb! I have made this many times for company, and it's always a hit.
will
Is this using alcoholic cider?
Jody
That would then say hard cider so it's regular cider
Talya
One of the best recipes ever!! Can be a whole meal or just a great side to chicken or fish.
Anne Liedtka
Delicious. Made the base, so I could reserve for left overs and added greens as needed when serving.
Changes 2
I found that the mint overpowered the delicate flavor of the pistachios and the Parmesan. I would cut back on the mint or leave it out altogether.
Brooke
8 tablespoons is half a cup…easier than keeping track of how many tbsp of olive oil you’ve added!
Stacy
This is a lovely salad. It’s hard to screw up - so don’t fret until you’ve put it all together! The salt level is fine with Diamond Kosher salt. Don’t omit it unless you’re salt restricted. I’ve made it with cider and chicken broth when I couldn’t find cider - and cider is better.
Areallulu
Because I didn't read the recipe properly I made it with apple cider vinegar, and it was quite good! The vinegar was strong but the cheese mellowed it out.
Nadine
I've now made this two days in a row. Love it. I have a ton of basil and mint in my garden so this works so well. Also, I could put a piece of chicken or shrimp or salmon on this and call it dinner. I love farro so I've made a lot of farro salads. Melissa is right when she says this one is the best.
jen dean
This farro salad was perfection! I also reduced salt by 1/2 tsp but will reduce further or omit next time . Used a nice apple cider and loved this new way to cook farro. One of my favorite NYTimes recipes!
Adarsh
Ok, I made a seriously dumb mistake - I used apple cider vinegar - yes a whole cup of it instead of apple cider. I wondered why this dish was so pungent. Beware! It is still edible but just a very different flavor profile.
madeline
Also saw "apple cider" as "apple cider vinegar". Tossed it and started again as we're having a guest, or I might have soldiered through. Had no cider, so used white wine, Hope it works.
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