smoky chickpea farro salad with olives, capers, and pine nuts
Author: radish*rose, adapted from Salad Samurai
Equipment: Large skillet, large salad bowl.
Ingredients
FOR SALAD:
1 to 3 cups cooked farro (the original recipe calls for 1 cup, but I made 1 cup of uncooked farro which makes about 2½ to 3 cups cooked, and used all of it! Don't worry, there's plenty of dressing.)
6 cups baby spinach (one 5-oz package)
½ c. golden raisins
⅓ c. toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
¼ c. pitted, sliced Kalamata olives
FOR DRESSING:
3 T. olive oil
¼ c. minced shallots
2 T. sherry vinegar
1 T. pure maple syrup or agave nectar
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. smoked paprika
½ tsp. sea salt
FOR GARLIC CHICKPEAS:
1 T. olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 14-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained (pat dry with paper towel to aid browning)
2 T. capers (these will burst during browning and add caper-y goodness to everything)
½ tsp. smoked paprika (optional but adds more smokiness!)
1 T. freshly squeezed lemon juice (about ½ lemon's worth)
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
Method
Prepare your salad: In a large salad bowl, combine the farro, spinach, raisins, pine nuts, and olives.
Prepare your dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the dressing ingredients.
Sear your garlic chickpeas: In a large skillet, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat, add the garlic and fry for 30 seconds (just until fragrant - do not let it brown or it will burn by the time you're done). Turn heat up to high and add the well-drained chickpeas, capers, and smoked paprika (this might splatter so be careful). Fry the chickpeas for 3-5 minutes or until browned and seared on the surface. Remove from the heat and toss with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.
Assemble your final dish: Transfer the hot chickpeas to the salad, add the dressing, and toss to combine. Serve immediately. Enjoy!
Recipe by radish*rose at https://radishrose.net/2015/05/25/smoky-chickpea-farro-salad-with-olives-capers-and-pine-nuts/