Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted Carrots

Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted Carrots

by | Feb 8, 2015 | Salads

Farro-Salad-with-Beet-Sauce-and-Roasted-Carrots-5I had a devious plan when I made this recipe :: ricetta. I wanted to see if Mr. Italicano really didn’t like beets or if it was just a psychological or textural hatred for this lovely purple vegetable.

Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted CarrotsJust as I thought, Mr. Italicano devoured his plateful of farro with beet sauce and roasted carrots. He actually complimented me on how good this dish was in between bites. I, of course, kept my mouth shut, took a sip of my red wine :: vino rosso and smiled sweetly back at him, enjoying my sneaky little trick.

Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted CarrotsThen, the moment came when Mr. Italicano asked what was inside. Luckily by this time, his plate was almost clear. As I mentioned the word beet :: barbabietola, I watched him cringe. Yes, definitely a psychological hatred and hopefully one that I’ve helped him kick as I love cooking with beets.

Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted CarrotsAfter the farro is cooked, it is versatile like rice :: riso— I love mixing in blended vegetables like my beet sauce or kale pesto. Here are some other ideas of yummy alternatives from bloggers around the web:

Roasted Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Feta and Avocado from Cookie and Kate—A great winter salad recipe.

Farro Salad with Lentils, Beans, and Oven Roasted Vegetables found on Serious Eats – Not just a salad, but a complete meal.

Warm Farro Salad with Spinach and Mushrooms from Little Spice Jar— A great side for special dinners.

Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted CarrotsThis farro salad with beet sauce and roasted carrots can be served as a side salad, or even as a vegetarian :: vegetariano main course. It is especially great when you host large dinner parties and need to easily (and elegantly) serve a large amount of people.

Farro Salad with Beet Sauce and Roasted Carrots
 
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This farro salad with beet sauce and roasted carrots is a delicious and healthy Italian side dish or vegetarian main coarse.
Recipe type: Salad
Cuisine: Italian/American
Serves: 4-6
Ingredients
  • For the beet sauce:
  • 3.5oz (100g) feta
  • ½ pound beets (1 medium beet)
  • 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ squeeze of a lemon
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • *Don't like beets? Try mixing in my kale pesto
  • For the farro salad:
  • 2 carrots, cubed
  • ⅛ tsp dried basil
  • ¼ tsp fresh ginger, grated
  • Unrefined salt, as needed
  • Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
  • 1¼ cup (230g) farro
Instructions
  1. For the beet sauce:
  2. Preheat the oven to 400°F (200°).
  3. Wash the beet well and wrap it in a piece of aluminum foil. Place on a cookie sheet with raised lips or in a baking dish in case the liquid drizzles out.
  4. Cook for 50-60 minutes, opening the foil and checking half way through. The cooking time will depend on the size of the beets. *(Add the carrots at this time, see below.)
  5. The beets are ready when you can easily poke a fork in the center. Let them cool slightly then use a paper towel to rub the skin off. If the skin is not easily coming off, put the beets back in the oven for a few minutes.
  6. After the skin has been removed, blend all of the ingredients together.
  7. Mix 2-3 spoonfuls of the beet sauce into the farro salad. Any left over sauce can be used as a dip with raw vegetables or a spread with crackers or can be mixed into pasta, couscous, millet, quinoa etc. Store in the refrigerator and consume within 3-4 days.
  8. For the farro salad:
  9. Line a cookie sheet with raised lips with parchment paper
  10. In a small sized bowl, toss the carrots together with the basil, ginger, salt and extra virgin olive oil. Place on the cookie sheet and bake alongside the beet for 30 minutes. (I like to give the veggies a stir every 10 minutes to prevent the outer carrots from burning.)
  11. In the meantime, bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add course salt followed by the farro. Cook for ½ hour. Drain.
  12. Put the farro in a large bowl and mix in 2-3 spoonfuls of beet sauce and roasted carrot. Serve. Or, if you want to present the salad like the photo, set a pastry ring in the middle of a plate and add the farro that has been mixed with the beet sauce, topped by another layer of beet sauce and top with the roasted carrots. Buon appetito!

 

Parchment Baked Striped Red Mullet with Wasabi and Yellow Curry Sauce

Parchment Baked Striped Red Mullet with Wasabi and Yellow Curry Sauce

by | May 2, 2014 | Entrées

I don’t know about you, but I think fish baked in parchment paper just looks uber fancy.  Who would of thought that something so elegant could be so easy? I think you’ll be surprised to know how uncomplicated and effortless this parchment baked striped red mullet with wasabi and yellow curry sauce recipe is to make.

Parchment-Baked-Red-Mullet-With-Wasabi-And-Yellow-Curry-SauceYou can really let your creativity :: creatività fly when cooking fish in parchment paper.  Toss in a variety of chopped fresh vegetables, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top, pop it in oven for 20 minutes and you’ve got yourself a quick and healthy meal.

Parchment-Baked-Red-Mullet-With-Wasabi-And-Yellow-Curry-SauceIn this recipe, I decided to use leeks :: porri, radishes, tomatoes and oregano all drizzled with a spicy wasabi and yellow curry vinaigrette.  It was a perfect pair and gave a little zing to an otherwise delicate flavor.

Parchment-Baked-Red-Mullet-With-Wasabi-And-Yellow-Curry-SauceThe first time I used striped red mullet, I had it filleted and deboned and slowly cooked it in a savory red sauce.  This time, I decided to cook it whole and I have to admit that due to the amount of bones the striped red mullet :: la triglia  has, it takes a lot of patience and work to eat. Therefore, instead of baking the fish whole you could just as easily bake the fillets in the parchment paper. It is definitely what I will be doing next time!

Parchment-Baked-Red-Mullet-With-Wasabi-And-Yellow-Curry-SauceI had been dying to try out my yellow curry paste that my friend Wes from Hong Kong brought over for me. You would be surprised at how hard it is to find ethnic spices and foods here in Italy unless you go to big cities like Milan or Rome.  When I visit the States, I usually bring back bottles of Sriracha, seasonings, and of course, peanut butter :: burro di arachidi, not that you can’t find jars of it here, but it is so expensive!

Parchment-Baked-Red-Mullet-With-Wasabi-And-Yellow-Curry-SauceIf you don’t have wasabi or yellow curry :: curry giallo paste, you could easily substitute these ingredients with a few pinches of dried red chili flakes or skip the heat altogether for a milder flavor.

Parchment-Baked-Red-Mullet-With-Wasabi-And-Yellow-Curry-SauceI hope you enjoy this recipe, let me know what you think in the comment section below!

Parchment Baked Striped Red Mullet with Wasabi and Yellow Curry Sauce
 
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This mouthwatering recipe for parchment baked striped red mullet with wasabi and yellow curry sauce is uncomplicated and effortless to prepare.
Serves: 2-4
Ingredients
For the fish:
  • 6 red mullets, whole or filleted
  • 6 small twigs fresh oregano
  • ¼ leek, sliced
  • 3 radishes, chopped
  • 10 datterini tomatoes, chopped
For the sauce:
  • 1 clove garlic, finely chopped
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 handful parsley, finely chopped
  • 1 lime wedge, squeezed
  • ½ teaspoon wasabi paste
  • 1 teaspoon yellow curry paste
  • ½ teaspoon red peppercorns
  • Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
  1. Preheat the oven to 390°F (200°C).
  2. Cut six pieces of parchment paper large enough for each fish to lie inside. Wash and dry the fish then set them on their individual sheets of parchment paper.
  3. Stuff the insides of each fish with 1 small twig of oregano.
  4. Divide the leeks, radishes and datterini tomatoes and layer on top of the fish.
  5. In a small bowl, combine the garlic, extra virgin olive oil, parsley, lime juice, wasabi paste, yellow curry paste, red peppercorns, salt and freshly ground pepper. Stir well then drizzle the sauce on top of each fish.
  6. Pinch the end of the parchment paper and tie it with a baking string, so the paper looks like a small canoe. Repeat for all the fish.
  7. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm.
  8. Inspired by [apron and sneakers|http://www.apronandsneakers.com/2013/05/parchment-baked-red-mullet-fish-with.html}