Warm Tuscan Farro Salad

Sue is fresh back from Italy (just this week), and we spent the afternoon talking about her adventures and the wonderful meals she ate while criss-crossing the Tuscany countryside.  We prepared the red pepper dip and left it to chill in the refrigerator while we drank wine, and Sue did a “show and tell” of her trip.  If she couldn’t be there, then retelling the stories made it seem like she was. Luckily, Meg is a good listener and lives vicariously through Sue’s meanderings.

Warm Tuscan Farro Salad

The warm Tuscan farro salad was a wonderful taste of Italy. Neither of us had previously prepared farro, and this salad was a perfect intro. We are so fortunate to have multiple sources for good produce and took full advantage when shopping for this meal. It is one of our quirks to get excited about fruits and vegetables.

 

Warm Tuscan Farro Salad with basil-lemon vinaigrette

Cuisine At Home, April 2013

6 servings

 

For the Farro, Boil:

3 ¼ cups water
½ tsp. kosher salt
2 cups semi-pearled dry farro, rinsed (12 oz.)

 

Sauté:

½ cup sliced shallots
1 Tbsp. minced garlic
¼ tsp. red pepper flakes
1 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
5 cups chopped kale (5 oz.)
¼ cup water
2 cups halved grape tomatoes
1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar
½ tsp. kosher salt
½ cup shaved pecorino (1.5 oz.)
Minced zest of 1 lemon

 

For the Vinaigrette, Whisk:

½ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
½ tsp. kosher salt
Black pepper to taste

 

For the farro, boil 3 ¼ cups water and ½ tsp. salt in a saucepan. Add farro, reduce heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until tender, 15-20 minutes; remove from heat and drain any excess water.

 

Sauté shallots, garlic, and pepper over medium-high heat, 1 minute. Stir in kale and ¼ cup water; cook until softened, 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, vinegar, and ½ tsp. salt. Stir in farro, pecorino, and zest.

 

For the vinaigrette, whisk together basil, ¼ cup oil, and lemon juice; season with ½ tsp. salt and black pepper. Toss salad with vinaigrette to coat.

Sauteed kale and tomatoes

Smoky Red Pepper & Feta Dip
Yield: 3 ½ cups
Source: www.thetastefulolive.com

4 red bell peppers
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, peeled (we used 4 roasted garlic cloves)
1 Tbsp. Bourbon-Smoked Paprika (we substituted smoked hot paprika)
2 cups crumbled feta cheese

Char peppers directly over gas flame or in broiler until blackened on all sides. Enclose in paper bag for 10 minutes.

Peel, seed and quarter peppers. Puree peppers, oil, garlic and cheese in processor. Season with sea salt and pepper. Chill at least 3 hours or overnight.

 

Red pepper dip with crostini

Sue had been drinking Chianti for over a week and insisted on repeating the one we liked from the Mangia, Mangia Bella Italia posting earlier. Turns out she had a bottle from a Total Wines class we took together. Now we have to buy more!

La Castellina Squarcialupi, Chianti Classico Reserva, 2007

Sue took a cooking class while in Florence which featured a side trip to the Mercato Centrale San Lorenzo, where she sampled balsamic vinegars, parmesan cheeses and olive oils (heaven). She brought home two bottles of balsamic vinegar, one of which we used to adorn fresh strawberries tonight. Meg brought an 18 year old balsamic from her stash, and we conducted our own tasting with and without strawberries.

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

This farro salad is a great make ahead for either a picnic or leftovers during the work week. The farro is slightly chewy and nutty. It cooks up in 10 minutes, and sautéing the vegetables takes almost no time. It would also be good for a pot luck party where the food sits out. It is very fresh tasting and pretty. 

We halved the recipe for the red pepper dip and still had quite a bit left over. We used roasted garlic instead of fresh, smoked hot paprika (instead of bourbon smoked paprika) and added a dash of Sriracha hot sauce.  We foresee using this dip as a pasta sauce, in deviled eggs, on grilled vegetables, or on roasted chicken. Use your imagination. Once you taste this, you will find other uses for it, too. We are going to try freezing it and will let you know.

Hail to balsamic!! There really is a difference. . . thick, syrupy, sweet, tart and lovely by the spoonful. We tasted both vinegars by themselves and the clear winner was Sue’s hand-carried 12 year old, aged in juniper balsamic. We have included a picture of the bottle and if you have a friend going to Italy, have them bring back a case and be sure to let us know. It is the food equivalent  of gold.

Strawberries are the angels of the earth, innocent and sweet with green leafy wings reaching heavenward. ~Terri Guillemets

Heading Due South

We are honoring our parents’ Southern heritage, which also became ours as we grew up eating meals influenced by their backgrounds. Someday we may have a biscuit cook-off but tonight we are sharing shrimp and grits and greens.

 
Our moms were from West Virginia and Missouri and were both wonderful cooks. Neither one of us cooked while we were living at home (and why would we?), but quickly discovered that if we wanted good food we had to figure out the cooking thing.

We saw this shrimp and grits recipe and it  really called to us. We knew we wanted greens with this meal, and the collards we found were super fresh.

Southern Collard Greens
Recipe courtesy Guy Fieri
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Serves: 6

Ingredients
2 lbs collard greens, rinsed
1 T canola oil
1 c ¼-inch diced salt pork (we used smoked bacon)
1 c diced onion
¼  t crushed red pepper flakes, optional
½  t freshly cracked black pepper
1 c low-sodium chicken stock
½  c water
1/3 c white vinegar
1 t hot pepper sauce, plus more for serving (recommended: Crystal)

Directions
Cut off and discard the tough stems and discolored leaves from the greens. Cut across the leaves into 2-inch ribbons.
In a large stock pot, over medium-high heat, add the canola oil and the diced salt pork (smoked bacon), and cook until light golden brown and just crisp. Remove to a paper-towel-lined plate and let cool.

Add the onion to the pot and cook until translucent, about 5 minutes, then add the red chili flakes, black pepper, and the collard greens.

Stir every few minutes, or until greens have wilted down. Add the chicken stock and the water and cover. Cook for 30 to 45 minutes, then remove the lid, increase the heat to high, and add the vinegar and a teaspoon of hot sauce. Adjust the seasoning, if needed, then put it into a serving bowl. Sprinkle with the salt pork (or bacon) and serve with additional hot pepper sauce on the side.

Collards cooking

Collard greens with bacon. Yum!

The chipotle, while not Southern, added a wonderful smokiness to the dish as well as a bit of zing.  Throw in some bacon and cheese and you have something pretty darn close to perfection. There was a lot of “yumming” going back and forth while we were eating.

Chipotle Shrimp with Cheddar Grits
Serves: 4
Active prep time: 15 minutes
Source: “Everyday Food”

¾ c quick cooking grits
½ c shredded cheddar (2 oz)
3 T unsalted butter, divided
1 bunch scallions, thinly sliced
1 chipotle in adobo sauce, seeded and chopped, plus 1 T sauce
½ c chicken broth
1 pound frozen large shrimp (31-35), thawed, peeled, and deveined (tails left on)
¼  c lime juice (from 2 limes)

In a medium pot, cook grits according to package instructions.  Stir in cheddar and season with salt.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 1 T butter over medium.  Add scallions and chipotle and sauce; cook, stirring until scallions are tender, 4 minutes.  Add broth and bring to a simmer.  Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 3 minutes.  Stir in lime juice and remaining 2 T butter and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Season with salt.  Top grits with shrimp and sauce.

Our instruction changes (from second paragraph,above):

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, melt 3 T butter over medium.  Add broth, chipotle, and lime juice and cook until sauce is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.  Add shrimp and cook until opaque throughout, 3 minutes. 

Spoon grits onto plates, cover with shrimp and scatter scallions over top to serve.

Shrimp with bits of chipotle

Chipotle shrimp and cheese grits.

 We chose a chardonnay because we wanted a wine that would not compete with the distinctive flavors of the food.

Our unsolicited and biased opinions:

This is comfort food at its best. Quick to cook, full of flavor, and satisfying. We substituted  bacon for the ham and loved the crunch factor on top of the greens.  Be sure to scrape the bacon bits from the bottom of the pan while the collards are cooking . . .  lots of flavor there.

Large 16-20 count shrimp were on a dynamite sale; so they came home with us. There were fewer shrimp but better shrimp.  We prepared the sauce without the shrimp and scallions, adding the shrimp for the last three minutes of cooking. We used the raw scallions as a garnish, which we loved. 

This dish was supposed to serve four people, but maybe not four very hungry people. Take our advice and plan on doubling both recipes. We are going to arm wrestle for the left overs – meager that they are.

No dessert tonight. We could be virtuous and tell you that the meal was rich enough, but we do try to be honest. There were two attempts at pecan desserts, neither really blog worthy. So that’s all there is, folks!

Here’s to good eating!

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~Harriet Van Horne, "Not for Jiffy Cooks," Vogue magazine, 1956