figs, shrimp and farro in respite
Serves 3-4
Sweet, sour, savory, salty, juicy, and toothy? That’s what this ancient grain salad delivers. Farro is not widely cultivated. It’s a wheat variety and mostly used in whole form for soups and sides. I took a trip through Andrew Weil’s Fast Food, Good Food book this afternoon while Mr. Artifact did the recycling. I loved Weil’s farro and feta salad. This recipe builds off of that one with added shrimp, bacon and figs. Substitute honey for the brown sugar if you want.
Enjoy and stay briny!
Ingredients
For Marinated Feta
• 1 C cubed feta (about ¼ to ½ inch)
• 2 T za’atar (see below for homemade version)
• 4 T olive oil
marinated feta
Main Dish
• ¾ C farro
• 5-6 ripe figs cut in half
• 10-12 medium raw shrimps
• 3 strips of bacon, cut into ½” pieces
• ¼ C fig vinegar (or more)
• ¼ C brown sugar
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 C sliced scallions
• ½ C diced parsley
• Salt
• Butter lettuce
Method
Mix feta with spices and olive oil. Set aside.
Dry roast farro slightly in a pan. Add water to cover. Cook for 15 minutes or until farro is al dente and edible. Drain. Put farro into frige to cool.
Fry bacon ‘til crispy. Remove to side dish. Drain all but 1 T bacon grease from your pan.
Heat your pan with the bacon grease and add the shrimp and garlic to the hot pan. Toss til almost cooked through–just a minute or so. Remove and set aside. Deglaze pan with fig vinegar and brown sugar until just dissolved.
Toss bacon, shrimp, figs and pan juices together with the farro in a bowl.
Add the scallions and parsley to the bowl and toss. Refrigerate if desired.
Add more salt, vinegar, and olive oil if needed.
Serve on butter lettuce leaves.
Top with marinated feta.
Share this:Homemade Za’atar Seasoning
• 2 T sumac
• 1 T sesame seeds
• 1 T fresh minced oregano
• 1 T fresh minced thyme
• 1 t kosher salt
• ½ t cumin (crushed)
• ½ t coriander (crushed)
- More
