After a glorious couple months of shelter-in-place family time, I looked up from the bottom of the pan containing the last of the tahini brownies and caught my refection in the window over the sink. Wild hair, chocolate smeared fingers. Ugh. Too much “comfort.” I need some feel-good food now. My farm box has asparagus to spare, so I prepped all the components for this super salad and my honey & I ate salad for a few lunches and balance was restored. It’s really fresh and zesty and you will love every flavorful bite – and you will feel better. I promise.
Recipe
Shrimp, Farro and Asparagus Salad with Dill Mustard Vinaigrette
This is a hearty and fresh salad. Farro is a fantastic grain, with a nutty flavor and chewy texture. All of its components can be made a day or two before and easily combined in no time for an amazing summer lunch. As always, we encourage you to source your seafood responsibly. Serves 4INGREDIENTS
- 1 cup farro
- 3 cups water
- 1 cup asparagus, spears cut evenly into thirds
- 1 tsp olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 lb medium shrimp, cooked, peeled and chilled
- 4 cups spinach or baby greens
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled
- 1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
VINAIGRETTE
- Zest of one lemon
- ¼ cup fresh-squeezed lemon juice (about 1 lemon’s worth)
- 1 tbsp plus 1 tsp ground dijon mustard
- ⅓ cup vegetable or canola oil
- 1 heaping tsp granulated sugar
- ¼ cup fresh dill fronds
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
INSTRUCTIONS
- Preheat oven to 400.
- Prepare farro. You may follow instructions on the package or, if there are no instructions, rinse farro and combine in a pan with the 3 cups water. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer, covered for 15 minutes or until cooked yet still a bit chewy. Try not to over cook. Drain farro and set aside to let cool.
- On an oven sheet, toss asparagus with olive oil and salt. Bake at 400 for 5-7 minutes until asparagus is cooked with a bit of color on it . Set aside and let cool
- To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a blender and have at it. Taste and correct seasoning, dipping a green in to taste as you tinker.
- To assemble salad, toss spinach, tomatoes, asparagus, with ½ the vinaigrette. Top greens with ¼ cup farro grains and shrimp, and drizzle with the remainder of the vinaigrette. Sprinkle salad with feta.