Bright, flavor-packed Mediterranean chickpea and farro salad with fresh veggies, herbs and a zippy citrus and olive oil dressing. You can add shrimp as instructed here or serve vegan. Lemon chicken is another great option to add.
2 1/2 cup/345 g cooked farro (you’ll start with 1 cup dry and cook according to package, see recipe notes)
2 cups/330 g cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed (canned chickpeas are fine)
10 oz/283.495 g cherry tomatoes, halved (I used different color tomatoes)
1 English cucumber, diced
2 green onions, trimmed and chopped (both white and green parts)
1 large handful fresh parsley, chopped
15 mint leaves, chopped
For the shrimp
1 lb/453.592 g large shrimp, peeled and deviened
Kosher salt
Black pepper
Extra virgin olive oil (I used Greek Early Harvest)
For the salad dressing
Juice of 1 lemon
5 tbsp/ approx 75 ml extra virgin olive oil
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 tsp/202 g dried oregano
1/2 tsp/ 1.01 g ground cumin (I roast my own)
1/2 tsp/1.03 g sumac
In a small bowl or mason jar, add the dressing ingredients (lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, oregano, cumin, and sumac.) Whisk well, or close the mason jar and shake until well-combined.
In a large salad bowl, combine cooked farro with the chickpeas and remaining salad ingredients (cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, green onion, parsley, and mint leaves).
Pour the majority of the dressing on top of the salad, toss to combine (leave a bit of the dressing, like 3 tbsp or so for the shrimp.) Set aside to allow flavors to meld.
To make the shrimp. Place the uncooked shrimp in a bowl, pat dry with some paper towels. Season with salt and pepper. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil and toss to coat.
Heat a skillet or griddle over high heat. Add the shrimp and cook on one side till they start to turn pink, turn over and cook on both sides (4 to 5 minutes in total.) Turn heat off and add the remaining 3 tbsp of dressing to the hot shrimp, toss to coat.
To serve, transfer the farro salad to a serving platter or individual serving bowls. Add shrimp on top.
Cook’s Tip for How to Cook Farro: You can cook farro a couple days in advance and keep in the fridge in a tight-lid glass container. Start with 1 cup dry farro combined with 3 cups of water and a good pinch of salt. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to medium-low. Cover and cook for about 30 minutes. Cooked farro will keep a pleasantly chewy bite.