A farro salad that works as well warm as it does at room temperature is the latest way to use a favored broccoli preparation: finely chopped and sautéed with garlic, lemon, and red pepper flakes, then finished with pecorino romano. The recipe, published on a cooking blog, is presented as a flexible family meal that can be served for dinner any night of the week or brought to weekend picnics and potlucks.
The broccoli component—described by the author as "broccoli rubble"—was originally a solution to a family problem: two children who reliably eat broccoli but are bored by steaming, and two parents who are similarly tired of plain steamed broccoli. Chopping the broccoli fine and sautéing it in olive oil with garlic, red pepper flakes, lemon zest, salt, and black pepper, then finishing it with fresh lemon juice and a handful of grated pecorino romano, produces a mixture the author says is flavorful enough to eat from a fork on its own.
The author has previously stretched that broccoli mixture into other meals: with pangrattato crumbs and a crispy egg, with burrata at room temperature, in broccoli melts with provolone, and on garlicky béchamel with torn mozzarella for broccoli pizzas. The new farro salad adds another option.
How the Salad Comes Together
To make it, cook 1 cup of semi-pearled farro in salted water for 25 to 30 minutes, or according to package directions. Drain and cool to lukewarm. Meanwhile, pat 1 pound of broccolini or regular broccoli dry, chop into roughly 1/2-inch bits, and sauté in 4 tablespoons of olive oil with 2 minced garlic cloves and red pepper flakes for 1 minute, then add the chopped broccoli, lemon zest, and salt and cook for 3 to 4 minutes more. Combine the broccoli mixture with the farro, then stir in lemon juice, black pepper, and 4 ounces of grated pecorino romano. The recipe notes that the amounts of salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes can be adjusted to taste.
The salad can be served as is, or topped with an egg, burrata, or seasoned breadcrumbs. Total time is 45 minutes, and the recipe yields 2 robust servings or 4 smaller ones.
Editorial Notes