Roasted Cauliflower, Beet & Farro Salad


I crave beets and spinach all winter, it's just my body telling me "enough with the pizza and cake....".

I saw this salad on istagram, and knew I would be making it soon.

This salad has everything I love, including farro, which is a wheat berry from Italy, and I don't use it often enough.

I used the raw beet greens, instead of fresh spinach, and glad I did. The pretty beet greens stood up the salad dressing without wilting, and I saved them from otherwise throwing them out (which is what I usually do!...shame shame).

I forgot the feta, and I did not miss it at all.

This is a little time consuming, but I roasted both vegetables at once, and cooked the farro at the same time as the veg.

Roasted Cauliflower, Beet & Farro Salad (adapted from Joy the Baker):


FOR THE SALAD:

2 cups farro
2 small beets
1 head of cauliflower, cut into small chunks
coarse sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper, smoked paprika (pimenton)
olive oil
2 handfuls of salad greens, coarsely chopped (beet greens or leafy spinach)
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

FOR THE VINAIGRETTE:

1/4 cup olive oil
juice of a lemon
1 teaspoon honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
sea salt and pepper to taste

Start by cooking the farro.

Bring about 5 cups of water to a boil. Season the boiling water with salt. Add the farro and cook like you are cooking pasta. Cook the farro until puffed and tender, about 25 minutes.
Drain in a colander and rinse with cool water. Set aside.

Place a rack in the center and upper third of the oven and preheat oven to 400F.

Scrub beets and remove the leafy green stems (save the beet greens for the salad). Place beets in a large piece of foil, drizzle with olive oil, kosher salt and pepper and seal up the foil.
Set on a rimmed baking sheet and place on the center rack on the oven to roast until softened through, about 50 minutes depending on the size of your beets.

On another rimmed baking sheet, scatter cauliflower chunks in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika.
Place on the upper rack of the oven a roast until browned, sizzling, and softened through, about 20 to 25 minutes, turning them over once.

Remove both the roasted beets and roasted cauliflower from the oven and allow to rest until cool enough to handle.
Peel the beets and slice into small chunks.

In a large bowl toss together cooked farro, roasted beets, roasted cauliflower and greens.

In a small jar with a tight fitting lid, shake together all of the vinaigrette ingredients. Taste and season.

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad. Serve with crumbled feta if desired.



Toss and serve.

5 star salad.

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