Winter Farro Salad with Kale and Raddichio

This past summer I discovered farro, a type of whole grain that is often used in Italian cooking. I fell in love with it's nutty taste and crunchy texture immediately and used it in chilled summer salads with fresh tomatoes, mozzarella, basil and balsamic vinaigrette with some fleur de sel and extra virgin olive oil. So simple and delicious. Farro is also sometimes called spelt and is very similar to wheat berries and sometimes said to be similar to barley, although I would say it has a lot more flavor and holds up much better than barley. It's very hard, so it needs some time to cook before it can be palatable, but will still retain a slight crunch when cooked. This versatile grain holds up well in both summer and winter dishes, and in this dish I decided to pair it with sauteed kale and radicchio with toasted pine nuts, ricotta salata cheese and a garlic balsamic vinaigrette. I served it warm, but it will definitely taste just as good cold for lunch tomorrow.

Here is the recipe:

Winter Farro Salad with Kale and Raddicchio

2 cups of farro (can usually be found in specialty grocery stores, although I found it today in my regular grocery store, in the aisle with rice, couscous, lentils, etc. but could also be in the pasta aisle)
2 cups of chicken stock
2 cups of water
1 bunch kale
1 head radicchio
2 shallots, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced and ground into a paste
Pine nuts, toasted lightly in oven or in a sautee pan
Ricotta Salata Cheese, crumbled
Balsamic Vinaigrette (recipe below)

In a medium sized stockpot, heat 2 cups of chicken stock and 2 cups of water with a few tablespoons of salt. When the chicken stock and water mixture has come to a boil, add the farro and cook for about 25 minutes until it is tender, but still a little crunchy.

While farro is cooking, mince garlic and sprinkle a little kosher salt on top then crush slightly with the back edge of your knife to turn the garlic into a paste.

Wash and remove the tough stem of the kale and slice into 1/2 inch ribbons. Slice the radicchio in half, remove the core and slice into 1/2 inch ribbons as well. Mince the shallots. Heat a few tablespoons of oil in a saucepan and add the minced shallots. Cook until slightly translucent then add the kale and radicchio until kale is wilted and radicchio begins to change color from maroon to slightly brown.

Drain farro when it is finished cooking and immediately add garlic paste and half of the balsamic vinaigrette. Stir well. Add the cooked kale and radicchio and add the remaining balsamic vinaigrette, toasted pine nuts and ricotta salata cheese. Serve at room temperature.

Balsamic Vinaigrette
1 tbsp mustard
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1 c. olive oil
salt and pepper
1 garlic clove, crushed and minced

Place mustard and balsamic vinegar in a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk to combine with a pinch of salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly add the olive oil so that the mixture emulsifies and thickens.