Crunchy Autumnal Salad

This salad takes a little planning and has a few steps to it, but with a little bit of strategics it is easy enough. And the work that goes into this is rewarded with lots of clean flavor and crunch. Although substantial on its own, if you need more protein, it will take easily to some chicken or bacon.

INGREDIENTS:

1 head of romaine lettuce, outer leaves removed, cut cross-wise into ¼ or ½ inch wide strips, washed and spun dry

1 bunch golden beets, roasted and cut into ½ inch dice, dressed with white balsamic vinegar (see Basic Roast Beets recipe on site)

1½-2 cups Chantenay carrots, cut into 3/8ths inch dice

1½-2 cups broccoli florets (the small ones), cut into ½ inch pieces (Save stems for a slaw with the cabbage and apples)

1½ cups heaping cooked farro (see recipe on site, or use Trader Joe’s 10-Minute Farro)

4, 6, or 8 hard-boiled eggs, as you choose, halved or sliced

1 cup of feta (nothing too salty), blue-cheese crumbles, sliced rounds of breakfast cheese, or other mild crumbly cheese; skip this if you use a blue-cheese dressing as it would be overkill

¼ cup toasted sunflower seeds -OR- ½ cup toasted almonds, coarsely chopped

1 cup dressing such as Creamy White Wine Honey Mustard Dressing, Double Balsamic Dressing, Honey Mustard Balsamic, A Lighter Simpler Blue Cheese Dressing, or White Wine Garlic Vinaigrette 

Salt and Pepper to taste

METHOD:

Bring a 3 quart saucepan of water to a boil. Have a bowl of half ice, half cold water ready. Add a tablespoon or salt to the water, and when it returns to the boil, add the diced carrots. Cook just until no longer raw all the way through. When bitten, a carrot piece should still offer a bit of resistance, but not seem raw. Use a slotted spoon or spider to remove the carrots to the ice water bath and submerge the carrots to arrest the cooking. Remove to a towel and dry.

Make sure there is still plenty of water for the broccoli, then add the broccoli floret ends to the boiling water. Cook for about 1-2 minutes. The broccoli should turn a little brighter, and not taste at all raw, but will still be firm and have some crunch. As soon as this state is reached, drain the broccoli and then submerge the broccoli in the ice water until it is cold. Drain thoroughly. The broccoli, carrots, and beets can all be done up to 3 days in advance. For that matter, so can the hard-boiled eggs.

To assemble the salad; put some dressing into a large bowl and add the lettuce, and toss to coat. Add the farro and toss together. Divide between 4 plates. Put the beets, carrots, and broccoli into the bowl and toss to coat with dressing. Divide evenly amongst the plates. Arrange hard-boiled eggs on the salads and scatter with sunflower seeds, and if using, the cheese, and then drizzle with a little more dressing. Season with salt and pepper, and serve.

Chef’s Notes: You could add some crisp thinner cut bacon or cubes of thick cut bacon that are both crisp and a little chewy, or add strips of cooked chicken. You could also have crostini on the side spread with avocado or cheese and use a slaw dressing or vinaigrette.

Serves: 4

Source: Chef Andrew E Cohen