Farro, kale and goats' cheese salad

This was a bit of a leap of faith for me, recipe-wise. My parents have a Waitrose calendar hanging in their bedroom and the photograph for April was of this salad. None of us knew what farro dicocco was (it turns out to be an Italian spelt readily available in Waitrose and I presume most supermarkets), but this was such a success! It was really delicious and there's even enough left over for my lunch tomorrow.

Ingredients for 4 people:

2.5 tbsp olive oil
1 red onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp red wine vinegar (I used balsamic)
4 large tomatoes, chopped (I used a mix of these and cherry tomatoes)
350g can pitted black olives in brine, drained
1 tbsp capers
3 thyme sprigs
250g quick cook farro dicocco (see picture below)
200g kale
200g goats' cheese, crumbled (or in my case roughly sliced up)

Method (courtesy of Waitrose's 2017 calendar):

1. Preheat the oven to 220°C. Toss 2 tbsp olive oil with the red onion, vinegar, tomatoes, olives, capers and thyme in a baking tray; season, then roast for 20 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, cook the farro in a large pan of salted boiling water for 12-14 minutes, until tender but with bite.

This is farro. Image courtesy of Waitrose

3. Drain the farro and tip onto the baking tray with the tomatoes, discarding the thyme stalks, and toss together so it soaks up all the flavours.

4. Heat the remaining 1/2 tbsp oil in a large frying pan set over a high heat. Add the kale and a pinch of salt and fry, tossing occasionally, until tender and charred in places.

I got impatient and didn't cook the kale for long enough, which resulted in quite a jaw workout. 

5. Toss the kale through the farro and vegetables; season and divide between plates. Scatter over the crumbled goats' cheese and serve, with a drizzle more of oil, if liked. 

This is a great salad for a spring day, it's surprisingly filling and delicious. I'll definitely be trying farro again!

Alice