Erin A

Roasted vegetables tossed in my favorite greens with a tangy dressing; it’s hard to go wrong. In the case of this salad, it’s equal to the chile-roasted sweet potatoes and hearty sorghum. It takes a bit longer to cook than some other grains, so I like to cook it ahead of time, making this salad a bit quicker. Instead of the sweet potato, use roasted butternut squash or delicata squash.

This vegan version uses a simple cashew cream for added flavor in the risotto and a rich squash topping, with help from the North African condiment, chermoula. I used red kabocha squash, but you could easily use butternut, Delicata, or a non-squash option, sweet potatoes. The version I’m using for this recipe, a red version, is kicked up a notch with ground chiles’ help. As mentioned in the recipe notes, I use the recipe from Eden Grinshpan’s cookbook, Eating Out Loud.

Because the kale sauce brings the flavor, I keep the barley base pretty simple. I like using Bob’s barley for this recipe since it’s a pearled version- It still takes about 45 minutes, but it’s one of my favorite dinners (as long as I have good bread to eat with it). If you decide to use spinach, blanching will be quick- just a dip in the water to brighten the spinach in color.

In this case, it was using the base for pasta e ceci and pulling a bit of inspiration from Zuppa di ceci e farro. It’s a great way to add even more heft to the recipe and a great way to use up any greens you might be trying to figure out how to use. My original recipe called for making a rosemary-garlic oil, but I find balancing a bit of freshness with the cooked ingredients to be a nice balance during the fall. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, stir in the partially cooked farro and continue to cook until the sauce has thickened and the farro is cooked through; about 10 to 15 minutes.