Caprese For Farro

“I wish for everyone to help create a strong, sustainable movement to educate every child about food, inspire families to cook again and empower people everywhere to fight obesity.”—Jamie Oliver

Well put Jamie.  I like it.  I'm trying to do my part by sharing easy recipes for people who don't think they can cook, don't think they have time to cook or don't know how to cook.  Processed foods are making us fat and unhealthy.  We can stop.  We may not be able to cure cancer from our own home, but we can cure obesity.  So, lets make something real and tasty!  I haven't made farro in a while and thought it would be the perfect accompaniment to a nice grilled steak.  I posted a recipe last summer for a farro salad with herbs.  This one has some similarities but I made this one up based on my kids' love for Caprese (pronounced  cah-PREHY-zay) Salad.  If you are unfamiliar with this, think nice slice of tomato topped with a slice of fresh mozzarella, topped with fresh basil and drizzled with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  My mouth just watered.  So here we go....

Take one cup of farro and cook it in salted water for about 30 min.  Drain well and set aside to cool.

Get one cup of fresh basil leaves and chop them up.

Chop 1/2 teaspoon of fresh oregano.  I'm sure this would be just fine if you left it out.  I have oregano in a flower box that grows year round.  It's lovely to have around and takes no effort what so ever.

I'm really into chives right now too.  Chop 1 tablespoon of chives.

Put the chopped herbs in a bowl with 3 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar and 1/4 cup olive oil.  Add 1/2 tsp of garlic powder and 1/2 tsp of salt.  Throw in some fresh cracked pepper for good measure.

Chop about a pound of tomatoes, this was three mediumish sized tomatoes.

Toss them in the bowl with the cooled farro.

Chop an 8oz ball of fresh mozzarella (all 8oz does not make it into my salad, can't help myself.  It's one of my favorites).

Add it to the bowl with the dressing and you're done!  This is best served room temp but if its been refrigerated and you can wait that long.  No worries, tastes good cold too!

Caprese for Farro

1 cup farro
1 cup fresh basil chopped
1/2 tsp fresh oregano chopped
1 Tbs chopped fresh chives
1/4 cup olive oil
3 Tbs balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
fresh ground pepper to taste
1 pound tomatoes chopped
1 8oz ball of fresh mozzarella chopped

Put 1cup farro in a medium pot with 2 1/2 cups of salted water.  Bring to a boil over high heat.  Reduce to a simmer (med-low), cover and let cook until tender, about 30 min.  Drain well and place in a bowl to cool.

In a small bowl add herbs, olive oil, balsamic, salt, pepper and garlic powder. Mix well.

Add tomatoes and cheese to the cooled farro.  Add the dressing and mix well.  Serve right away or refrigerate and bring to room temp before serving.