Farro and spring vegetable salad with dill, feta and lemon

September 25, 2018

To make this salad extra luxurious, double the amount of peas, you won't regret it.William Meppem

I dream of this salad when spring approaches. It's verdant, sweet and fresh – a harbinger of what's to come. Add any mix of spring vegetables you like. It's a great base recipe to play around with whatever is on hand.

Ingredients

300g peas in the pod
2 bunches asparagus
1 head fennel
200g farro
100g feta, crumbled
1 bunch dill, leaves picked
1 bunch chives, finely chopped
juice of 2 lemons
extra virgin olive oil
salt and pepper

Method

1. Pod the peas and set aside. Snap the bottom third of your asparagus spears to remove the woody part and cut the remaining spear into 2cm pieces. Slice the fennel thinly using a mandolin. Set aside.
2. Cook the farro in about 750ml boiling salted water until tender. It will take about 15-20 minutes. When it's nearly ready, add the peas and asparagus to the pot and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately drain the farro and vegies through a colander and spread onto a wide flat tray to allow everything to cool quickly.
3. Once the farro and vegetables are at room temperature, add in the feta, dill, chives, fennel, half of the lemon juice, salt and pepper and some olive oil to balance. Toss together and taste. Adjust seasoning and acidity with more lemon juice, if needed. Serve at room temperature.
Serving suggestion: Crumbed lamb cutlets with minted yoghurt.