Jun. 26, 2010 at 12:11am View comments
midnight. this photo doesn’t do that meal justice. please know that! please do not look at the oversaturated picture of random grains and veg in an ikea bowl, held by me in front of a lamp in a desperate attempt to light things enough that you can see the revelation i’d just tasted and say, “nah, not reading this, DEFINITELY not cooking it, totally not worth it.” because trust me, IT IS WORTH IT. and i’m not saying that because this meal was all about using up odds and ends in my fridge and satisfying a craving for nutty grains + charred bitter greens. farro salad with grilled radicchio and scapes 16 oz farro one head radicchio one bunch basil one handful of garlic scapes (i had six in my crisper drawer) fresh mozzarella balsamic vinager salt and pepper heirloom tomatoes prepare the farro according to the instructions on the package. meanwhile, rinse the bunch of basil, remove the lower stems, and coarsely chop the rest. set aside. heat a grill pan over medium heat (or, if you’re lucky and have outdoor space, a grill). remove any wilted outer leaves from the radicchio and then slice it in eighths, leaving the core intact so that each section holds together. lightly oil the grill pan (or, in the case of a proper grill, lightly oil the radicchio itself), then grill the radicchio, first on one side, then flip, until it’s charred and a bit wilted. this took about six minutes for me. remove the charred radicchio to a cutting board to cool a bit, then add the garlic scapes to the hot grill and sear for about ten minutes, flipping often, so that you get some charred bits and some that are still fairly raw (they’re squirrely little vegetables and won’t consent to lie flat on your grilling surface). once they’ve cooked to your liking, remove them to the cutting board. by this time your farro should be chewy and perfuming your kitchen with a nutty scent. drain the farro and tip it into a large bowl. add the reserved basil. chop the cooled radicchio and scapes and add them as well. roughly chop and or tear apart the mozzarella, using anywhere from half to all of the ball, depending on its size/your taste, and add that to the bowl. season with balsamic vinegar (i eyeballed it - it was about a quarter cup), fresh cracked pepper and salt to your taste and mix. serve it as i did, in a bowl with some raw, fresh, sweet heirloom tomatoes, or perhaps over more greens (arugula!), though i’d still suggest the tomatoes as an accompaniment, as they’re a lovely counterpoint to the earthy, charred greens and grains. this amount will fill the next largest bowl in a set of four pyrex nesting bowls, and will easily serve eight people, if not more. oh! and i think it would be delicious with lambrusco, though i didn’t think of that until i was almost finished.

midnight. this photo doesn’t do that meal justice. please know that! please do not look at the oversaturated picture of random grains and veg in an ikea bowl, held by me in front of a lamp in a desperate attempt to light things enough that you can see the revelation i’d just tasted and say, “nah, not reading this, DEFINITELY not cooking it, totally not worth it.” because trust me, IT IS WORTH IT. and i’m not saying that because this meal was all about using up odds and ends in my fridge and satisfying a craving for nutty grains + charred bitter greens.

farro salad with grilled radicchio and scapes

16 oz farro

one head radicchio

one bunch basil

one handful of garlic scapes (i had six in my crisper drawer)

fresh mozzarella

balsamic vinager

salt and pepper

heirloom tomatoes

prepare the farro according to the instructions on the package. meanwhile, rinse the bunch of basil, remove the lower stems, and coarsely chop the rest. set aside. heat a grill pan over medium heat (or, if you’re lucky and have outdoor space, a grill). remove any wilted outer leaves from the radicchio and then slice it in eighths, leaving the core intact so that each section holds together. lightly oil the grill pan (or, in the case of a proper grill, lightly oil the radicchio itself), then grill the radicchio, first on one side, then flip, until it’s charred and a bit wilted. this took about six minutes for me. remove the charred radicchio to a cutting board to cool a bit, then add the garlic scapes to the hot grill and sear for about ten minutes, flipping often, so that you get some charred bits and some that are still fairly raw (they’re squirrely little vegetables and won’t consent to lie flat on your grilling surface). once they’ve cooked to your liking, remove them to the cutting board. by this time your farro should be chewy and perfuming your kitchen with a nutty scent. drain the farro and tip it into a large bowl. add the reserved basil. chop the cooled radicchio and scapes and add them as well. roughly chop and or tear apart the mozzarella, using anywhere from half to all of the ball, depending on its size/your taste, and add that to the bowl. season with balsamic vinegar (i eyeballed it - it was about a quarter cup), fresh cracked pepper and salt to your taste and mix. serve it as i did, in a bowl with some raw, fresh, sweet heirloom tomatoes, or perhaps over more greens (arugula!), though i’d still suggest the tomatoes as an accompaniment, as they’re a lovely counterpoint to the earthy, charred greens and grains.

this amount will fill the next largest bowl in a set of four pyrex nesting bowls, and will easily serve eight people, if not more. oh! and i think it would be delicious with lambrusco, though i didn’t think of that until i was almost finished.

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