Farro and Green Bean Salad with Pistachio Gremolata
I gilded the Lily with this recipe by adding marinated fera and chili crisp breadcrumbs. Make these two recipes it’s worth it.
Ingredients for Farro:
1 cup quick cooking farro
Kosher salt
3 cups Apple Cider
Directions for Farro:
Add farro, 3 cups apple cider and a pinch of kosher salt to a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the farro is tender and toothsome, about 10 minutes.
Ingredients for Green Beans:
1 lb green beans, trimmed
Black pepper
Flaky sea salt, for serving (optional)
Gremolata (recipe follows)
Marinated Feta (recipe follows)
Direction for Green Beans:
In a large saucepan or stock pot, bring 4 quarts water and 3 Tbl salt to boil.
Add the green beans and boil until tender-crisp, but still bright green, about 3 to 5 minutes. Drain well and immediately plunge into ice water to stop the cooking. Drain beans from ice water and wrap in paper towels to dry off the beans.
If there is any residual cooking liquid from the farro, drain it and add the farro to a large bowl along with the beans. Add the pistachio gremolata and toss until well combined and season with salt and pepper. Transfer to a large serving bowl or platter and top with marinated feta.
For the Gremolata Dressing
½ cup finely chopped Pistachios
1 cup roughly chopped fresh dill
2 Tbl lemon zest (from about 2 lemons)
2 Tbl finely chopped shallot
2 Tbl lemon juice
1 Tbl Lemon Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tbl Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tbl Meyer Lemon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Directions for Gremolata:
In the food processor put the pistachios, dill, lemon zest, lemon juice, Meyer Lemon Balsamic Vinegar and shallots and pulse a few times. Stop the food processor and add the oils and process until combined. Season with salt and set aside.
Marinated Feta
Ingredients:
1 ½ tsp dried thyme
½ tsp dried fennel seeds
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 lbs Greek feta, drained and sliced ½ inch thick
3 sprigs fresh thyme
½ Arbequina Extra Virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Combine the dried thyme, fennel seeds and red pepper flakes in a small bowl. Lay the feta slices overlapping on a 9 × 9-inch square serving plate.
Sprinkle the feta with the entire herb mixture. Nestle the fresh thyme sprigs and olives among the feta slices. Drizzle with the olive oil and sprinkle with ½ tsp salt and ¼ tsp black pepper. Cover the dish with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 4 hours.
Chili Crips Bread Crumbs:
Ingredients:
1 cup fresh breadcrumbs about 3 pieces of bread
2 Tbl chili crisp
3 Tbl parmesan cheese
Directions for breadcrumbs:
Place 3-4 pieces of stale bread on a baking sheet and bake for 300° until bread is crispy, maybe 7-8 minutes. Then let bread dry and crumble into crumbs. You can use store bought breadcrumbs, but fresh is best for this dish.
In a small skillet, add 2 Tbl chili crisp over medium heat. Add breadcrumbs, c, garlic, and parsley. Stir together and cook, stirring occasionally, until breadcrumbs are fragrant and crispy. Remove from heat. Once they are cooled add the parmesan cheese.