If you’ve never made farro, I’m here to convince you. It’s chewy, nutty, and it doesn’t taste anything like dirt, unlike some of its other grain friends *cough* quinoa *cough*. And if you buy Trader Joe’s bags of 10 Minute Farro, it cooks as quickly as pasta.
The farro and arugula salad pairing is a versatile favorite over here. Add a fruit, a cheese, and a nut and it’s hard to screw up. And if you can get your hands on some ripe, flavorful peaches, this combo is a winner! You want peaches that are slightly soft (not too soft or they will be mushy) and smell super peachy. Your nose knows! If you can’t find good peaches, sub in apples or another fruit because no one wants to eat unripe, flavorless peaches.
I love the candied hazelnuts, but if you’re short on time, store-bought nuts like Trader Joe’s Candied Pecans work great too!
This peach farro salad is the perfect side for your next summer BBQ. Or add some grilled chicken skewers to make it a main dish! xo
Peach Farro Arugula Salad with Candied Hazelnuts
Ingredients
Candied Hazelnuts
- 1 cup raw hazelnuts
- 2 tbs maple syrup
- 1 tsp butter
- ½ tsp kosher salt
Champagne Vinaigrette
- 2 tbs champagne vinegar
- 1 tbs minced shallot
- ½ tsp dijon
- ½ tsp honey
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ cup good quality extra-virgin olive oil
Salad
- 5 oz arugula
- 2 cups cooked farro* cold or room temperature
- 4 oz goat cheese crumbled
- 4 peaches firm, but ripe chopped or sliced
Instructions
Make the Candied Hazelnuts:
- Preheat the oven to 325' (300' convection). Spread hazelnuts on a baking sheet and toast for 10-15 minutes, until fragrant.
- Wrap the hazelnuts in a clean tea towel and rub to remove the skins.
- Combine maple syrup, butter, and kosher salt in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add the skinned hazelnuts and stir to coat them completely. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until the maple syrup mixture has begun to crystallize and no more liquid remains in the pan, about 5-7 minutes.
- Transfer hazelnuts to a parchment lined baking sheet to cool.
Make the Champagne Vinaigrette:
- Whisk together champagne vinegar, shallot, dijon, honey, salt and pepper in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in extra virgin olive oil down the side of the bowl while whisking vigorously to emulsify.
Assemble the Salad:
- Combine arugula with farro, goat cheese and peaches. Top with candied hazelnuts (you can break the hazelnut clusters apart with your hands or chop them) and dressing to taste.
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