Recipe: Farro Salad with Roasted Eggplant, Caramelized Onion, and Pine Nuts (2024)

For the farro:

• 2 cups

  water

• 1 cup

  semi-pearled farro, or about 3 cups cooked farro

• 1

  bay leaf

• 1

  dried red chile pepper, optional

• 1 teaspoon

  minced hot green chile such as serrano, optional

• 3/4 teaspoon

  Aleppo pepper, or more as needed

• 3/4 teaspoon

  dried mint, preferably spearmint, optional

For the salad:

• 1 1/2 pounds

  eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubes (about 8 cups)

• 1/2

  medium red onion, thinly sliced (less than 1/4 inch)

• 4 tablespoons

  extra-virgin olive oil

• 1/2 teaspoon

  fine sea salt

• 1/2 cup

  loosely packed torn fresh mint leaves

• 2 tablespoons

  white balsamic vinegar or red wine vinegar

• 1/4 cup

  lightly toasted pine nuts

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat to 425°F.

2. To prepare the farro, add the water, farro, bay leaf, and dried chile to a 2-quart heavy saucepan and bring to a boil. Decrease the heat to maintain a simmer, cover, and cook until the grain is tender with a slight chew, 20 to 25 minutes. Remove the bay leaf and chile, drain if needed, and transfer to a large serving bowl. Sprinkle with the minced chile, Aleppo pepper, and dried mint and toss to combine.

3. Meanwhile, to make the salad, place the eggplant and the onion on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, sprinkle with the salt, and combine well, using your hands. If you don’t mind the extra dish, it’s a bit easier to toss everything in a large bowl.

4. Roast the mixture until the eggplant pieces have softened and are browned in spots, and the onion slices have caramelized, turning them once with a spatula in between, 30 to 35 minutes. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and immediately sprinkle the vegetables with 1/4 cup of the fresh mint and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the vinegar. Toss well with a spatula — this will soften the mint leaves and take the sting out of the vinegar.

5. To finish, add the warm eggplant mixture to the farro. Drizzle with the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 tablespoon vinegar and toss to combine. Season with salt and vinegar to taste. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup mint and the pine nuts and serve.