Farro salad with haloumi

Name: Farro salad with haloumi
Cook time: 30 min
Yield: 4
Cuisine: Greek
Ingredients: 175g farro (or other grain); 3 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped; 1 handful mint, finely shredded; 1 small red onion, finely diced; 3 spring onions, sliced into fine rounds; 3 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely diced; 125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra; juice of 2 lemons; sea salt and freshly ground pepper; 400g haloumi, cut into 4 slices

April 22, 2014

Farro and haloumi salad - choose your grain and add extra spices to make it your own.WILLIAM MEPPEM

easyTime:< 30 minsServes:4

You can replace the farro with other grains such as barley, oats or quinoa; boiled wild rice is great, too. Wake up your taste buds by roasting spices like fennel, coriander and cumin seeds, then crush and sprinkle over salads like this one. I also like to barbecue a couple of hot chillies, then crush them into the salad.

Ingredients

175g farro (or other grain)
3 handfuls flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 handful mint, finely shredded
1 small red onion, finely diced
3 spring onions, sliced into fine rounds
3 vine-ripened tomatoes, peeled, deseeded and finely diced
125ml extra virgin olive oil, plus extra
juice of 2 lemons
sea salt and freshly ground pepper
400g haloumi, cut into 4 slices

Method

Simmer the farro for about 15 minutes in salted boiling water - you still need a good bite to it. Drain and dry.
Put the farro in a bowl and add the parsley, mint, red onion, spring onions and vine-ripened tomatoes. Mix well.
Whisk the olive oil and lemon juice together and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add the dressing to the farro and mix through thoroughly.
Place a pan onto the stove on a high heat and add a splash of extra virgin olive oil. When hot, add the haloumi slices and cook on one side for a minute until they turn brown and a crust forms.
Turn over and repeat.
TO SERVE, slice up the haloumi, divide between 4 plates and spoon over the farro salad.