What do you do when it’s snowing out? I know what I do…cook. At least that’s what I did on a recent snowy day when the kids were off from school. I dug through my cabinets and refrigerator to see what needed to be used up, and found a bunch of goodies, including a wedge of Extra-Aged Goat Cheese from Sartori Cheese that I’d been saving for a special occasion.
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Sartori Cheese generously sent me a collection of their fine cheeses over the holidays and I served several of them at my Open House Party. With all the craziness surrounding the party, I didn’t have a chance to snap a picture of the beautiful pasta salad that I made using their Merlot BellaVitano Cheese, but I did tell you all about the Skinny Hot Spinach and Artichoke Dip with Fontina Cheese, Grilled Smashed Potatoes with Green Harissa Sauce, and lightened up Creamy Chicken Crepes that I made using some of Sartori’s fine cheeses.
I’m a foodie at heart and I love experimenting in the kitchen, so I love it when I get presents in the mail, especially when they’re high quality food samples. So, when a friend of mine asked me if I had a winter farro salad recipe, I conjured up this Warm Kale, Farro and Winter Fruit Salad, and the Extra-Aged Goat Cheese from Sartori was calling my name – tangy, yet firmer than regular goat cheese, I knew it would hold up well in this salad. Although I used dried fruits, chopped apples or clementine segments would be nice in this too.
I loved the saltiness of the aged goat cheese, the tanginess of the pomegranate balsamic vinegar, the chewiness of the farro and kale, the crunchy pine nuts and the sweetness of the dried fruits, all mixed into one bowl.
This is a keeper – even my kids liked it. I think they thought it was especially cool since I told them Farro is one of the oldest grains in history.
Cooked and Uncooked Pearled Farro
Warm Kale, Farro and Winter Fruit Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cup semi-pearled farro
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons pomegranate vinegar or your favorite fruit flavored vinegar
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1/2 cup dried cranberries
- 1/2 cup dried figs quartered
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 4 cups chopped kale leaves
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
- 1/4 cup crumbled aged goat cheese or regular goat cheese
Instructions
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Place farro and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook, covered, for 20-25 minutes until tender (but still chewy). Drain, rinse and drain again. Place in a bowl and toss with vinegar, honey, cranberries and figs.
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In a large saute pan, heat olive oil and add kale leaves. Saute 1-2 minutes until kale is just tender. Add to farro, along with salt, pine nuts and goat cheese. Toss well and serve.
This post has been linked up to Beyond the Peel’s Keep It Real Thursdays.
Jeanette,
That is a simply gorgeous salad! And I had to laugh because great minds think alike. Look at the kale., farro, fruit salad I came up with a week ago! http://www.shockinglydelicious.com/healthy-and-delicious-vegan-mango-chickpea-kale-farro-salad-secret-recipe-club/
Love this! How simple, nutritious and perfectly easy! We’re going to feature this on our Facebook page and link here so people can see how you made it, and your lovely photography. If you wish, come LIKE us on Facebook for more recipes and tips on super healthy greens like kale, chard, beet, mustard, turnip, collard, escarole, dandelion and other green leafies. https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens
–Your friendly Southern California farmers at Cut `n Clean Greens
https://www.facebook.com/Cut.n.Clean.Greens
Thanks so much – love how easy you make it for people to enjoy greens.
Just gorgeous! My husband teases me because I eat so much kale, but I can’t get enough of it–it’s so good! I think I’m going to make this for lunch very soon. 🙂
This is such a beautiful salad, Jeanette! It would get even the most skeptical person to try kale, for sure!
This looks heavenly!
Such a lovely, light salad! Great flavors that you added in, too!
Such a beautiful salad!
Such a great combo! Love the pairing of farro and fruit… and then the kale mixed in is just brilliant!
This is such a festive salad. Gotta make it. Wonder if my kale made it through the winter?
Went to vote but could not because I have neither facebook nor twitter. Is there another way for me to vote?
So many wonderful colors and flavors here!
This is my kind of dinner.I love the mix of dried figs and cranberries with goat cheese and farro. The kale is a lovely healthful addition. Gorgeous Jeanette. Always.
What a beautiful looking salad! I definitely think that food that is eye appealing as it is nutritious encourages more people to eat this way. I am going to adapt this for my Blood Type A, Genotype Teacher way of eating.
Yummy! This is my kind of salad. I love all the nuts and farro in this!