Farro Salad with Avocado Dressing, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Balsamic Red Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, and Microgreens

This hearty salad makes a lovely summer meal all by itself. Served at room temperature, it has a variety of flavors and textures, a beautiful presentation, and plenty of substance. The farro is boiled and coated in mashed avocado, then dished out onto individual plates and topped with the tomatoes, onions, mozzarella, and greens. Another way to do this, which isn't nearly as pretty but is easier if you plan on making a lot, is to cut the tomatoes, onions, and mozzarella into pieces and toss them directly with the farro. 

Roasting the tomatoes and onions takes forethought, but what I like to do is just make up big batches of these tomatoes and onions, as well as other versatile ingredients like basil oil, and then keep them in the fridge until I need them. They are so easy to incorporate into a variety of dishes that they are well worth having on hand. For instance, roasted tomatoes work great with pasta, salad, on toasted baguettes, drizzled with balsamic as a tapa, as an accompaniment to roast chicken or lamb chops, or simply eaten right out of the tupperware (yes, I have done that on a few occasions). So my recommendation is to buy a big bag of super ripe tomatoes at the farmers' market, eat a few of them fresh, and then roast the rest for use throughout the week. Same goes for basil oil (see my other blog posts for ideas) and balsamic red onions (but the farmers' market part is optional; I can't say I taste a difference in flavor in onions).

In addition to being a perfect elegant luncheon dish or even (in smaller portions) a nice start to a dinner, this salad makes excellent leftovers.

Farro Salad with, Avocado Dressing, Slow Roasted Tomatoes, Balsamic Red Onions, Fresh Mozzarella, and Microgreens

serves 4

1 cup uncooked farro

Kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

1 very ripe avocado, diced

about 12 roasted tomato halves (see recipe below)

about 1 cup balsamic red onions (see recipe below)

2 balls fresh mozzarella, sliced

1 cup micro greens (I suggest sunflower sprouts--they have a delicious nutty taste and some nice crunch)

1/4 cup basil oil (see recipe below)

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the farro and cook, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, and then pour into a strainer and rinse with cold water. The farro should be fully cooked but still have some chewiness to it. 

When the farro is close to room temperature, toss with the salt and pepper in a large mixing bowl. Add the avocado, and use your (clean) hands to work the avocado into a sort of dressing. You should be squeezing the avocado around the farro, so eventually the farro is all coated. If the avocado is less soft, add a bit of olive oil to complete the dressing.

Arrange the farro mixture on four plates. Build the salad up by layering the tomatoes, onions, and mozzarella slices on top of the farro. Drizzle the basil oil equally on the four salads. Top with the greens, and serve immediately.

Roasted Tomatoes

2 pounds small fresh tomatoes, halved lengthwise

1/2 teaspoon to 1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

2 tablespoons sugar (add more if the tomatoes aren't sweet)

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F. Toss all ingredients to coat the tomatoes. Arrange the tomatoes cut side up in a shallow baking dish. Roast for 3 hours.

Balsamic Red Onions

2 pounds red onions, thinly sliced (slice in rings, or slice root to tip--whatever you prefer the look of)

1/2 cup balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon Kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Toss all ingredients together in a shallow baking dish to coat the onions. Roast for 30 minutes or until the onions are soft.

Basil Oil
makes around 1 cup

2 big bunches fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup olive oil, approximately
salt and pepper, to taste

In a food processor, pulse the basil leaves until they are chopped. Start adding the olive oil in a steady stream until the mixtures reaches a texture much looser than a pesto. Adjust the amount of olive oil based on how thick you want the basil oil to be. When the texture is right, add salt and pepper to taste and process for another few seconds or until smooth enough.

Let the oil sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. After this, basil oil keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days to a week (after this it will still be good, but not as flavorful).

Prosciutto-Wrapped Caramelized Scallops on Rosemary Skewers

Last week Mitch and I went to California and stayed at my family's vineyard in the hills between Napa and Sonoma valleys (take a look some more of my pictures. Be jealous, or just come with me next year.). I had bought some scallops from Sunshine Grocery the day before, and I had some prosciutto and basil oil and the fridge, so I decided to combine those elements into a dish to serve alongside the chilled tomato soup I posted about the other day. But something was missing. A quick foray into the rock garden outside the kitchen gave me the answer--rosemary.

The view from the pool at Bald Mountain (the vineyard)

I learned to use rosemary sprigs as skewers during my time at The Herbfarm, and I have loved them ever since. They look elegant as well as imparting a delicate but not overpowering rosemary scent to whatever is on them. And there is the added benefit of crunchy amazing fried rosemary once you have eaten whatever was on the skewer. It's like the savory, more practical, and more delicious version of chocolate straws.


What you need to know about scallops: 
Bay scallops, sea scallops, day boat scallops, diver scallops, dry scallops, wet-packed scallops... It can be confusing to select scallops if you don't know what all that means. So here is the first key distinction: bay scallops are small and sea scallops are big. Both are good, but they shine in different types of dishes. Bay scallops tend to be slightly sweeter, so they work very well in ceviche or other raw dishes, as well as with some pastas. Sea scallops are meatier and have a more pronounced flavor. They are the ones you want to sear (bay scallops would overcook quickly and be nearly impossible to handle because of their size).

Sea scallops are often referred to as diver scallops or day-boat scallops. Diver means that divers collect them as opposed to a boat just using a net on the sea floor, which is bad for the sea environment. Day-boat means that the boat goes out and comes in in one day, therefore the scallops may be fresher (but no guarantees on how long it took them after the boat docked to get the scallops to the store). It's not easy to tell just from "diver" and "day-boat" which scallops to choose. In part it's just a style thing--"day-boat" scallops are very in right now.

The last distinction is between dry and wet packed. You want dry. What wet-packed means is that they are soaked in a phosphate solution as a preservative (which also implies that they are less fresh). The solution turns the scallops mushy and over-saturated with liquid, making them less pleasing to eat and much more difficult to sear. One more (obvious) point--always try to buy fresh seafood over frozen.


Prosciutto-Wrapped Caramelized Scallops on Rosemary Skewers
makes 12 scallop skewers (serves 6 as hors d'ouevres or 3 as part of a main course)

6 slices (very thinly sliced) prosciutto, about 3 ounces
12 large sea scallops, about 1 pound
12 woody rosemary sprigs, about 3 or 4 inches long
3 tablespoons olive oil
basil oil (see previous post for recipe) or balsamic reduction, for serving

Prep: Carefully tear each slice of prosciutto in half lengthwise, making 12 long strips. Don't worry if a few come apart--you can just layer them on each other. Prepare the rosemary skewers by stripping the leaves off the bottom 2 inches of each rosemary sprig. If the ends are rough, cut the tips off on a bias to create sharp ends.

Skewering: Take each scallop, and wrap one strip of prosciutto tightly around the outside. Take the rosemary skewer and push it through the wrapped scallop, securing the prosciutto in place.

Searing: Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat (avoid the temptation to use a nonstick pan--it will not let the scallops caramelize as well). When the oil barely begins to smoke, use tongs to lower the scallops into the pan. let the rosemary skewers either sit in the oil or go up the edge of the pan (uncooked rosemary is prettier, but it tastes delicious when it fries). Make sure to space them out well enough, and if you make a double recipe consider doing two batches. If they are too close together, liquid will not evaporate and they will braise instead of sear. After at least 3 minutes, flip them over and sear for another 3 minutes on the other side, or until both sides are well browned.

Serving: Serve with dabs of basil oil or balsamic reduction.

Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup with Basil Oil

This is one of the simplest recipes I will post, because recipes don't get much simpler than this. But, like many simple recipes, everything depends on the quality of the ingredients. In this case there are only three ingredients in the soup--tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil. The tomatoes especially must be perfectly ripe and juicy. You want big red tomatoes that have ripened past the point of being too firm, are are naturally full of flavor and sweet. If you don't grow beefsteak tomatoes or the like, try your local farmers' market. If all you have are supermarket Roma tomatoes, I can give you other recipes that will make those tomatoes delicious, but skip this one. This soup is a vehicle for flavorful tomatoes to shine. And, let me tell you, the results are heavenly when the ingredients are good.


I made this soup because we had about a quart of sliced tomatoes leftover from 4th of July. The tomatoes were wonderful, but since they had already been sliced they were losing their texture and letting out juice. So to take advantage of that, I stuck them in the blender with some garlic and olive oil, chilled the soup, and served it with some basil oil. Yum!  But if you don't have tomatoes pre-sliced sitting around, what I would advise doing is slicing them a few hours beforehand, salting and sugaring them very lightly, and letting them sit at room temperature to let them macerate. Then come blending, chilling, and dressing the soup with basil oil (or pesto, if that is on hand).


This makes a fabulous starter soup for the summer months, especially at the beginning of an outdoor meal.


Chilled Fresh Tomato Soup with Basil Oil
serves 2 to 4, depending on serving size

4 cups thinly sliced perfectly ripe tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon to 1 tablespoon sugar, depending how sweet the tomatoes are (they should be sweet if you are making this soup with them)
1 clove garlic
3 tablespoons olive oil
basil oil (see recipe below), pesto, or thinly sliced fresh basil leaves

Toss the sliced tomatoes with the salt and sugar in a non-reactive (ideally glass or ceramic) mixing bowl. Let them macerate until they have softened some.

Put the tomatoes, garlic, and olive oil in a blender. Blend for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the soup is perfectly smooth. Chill in the refrigerator for at least an hour in the same non-reactive bowl, covering the soup with plastic wrap.

Garnish the soup with the basil oil, pesto, or thinly sliced fresh basil leaves, and then serve immediately. 


Basil Oil
makes around 1 cup

2 big bunches fresh basil leaves
3/4 cup olive oil, approximately
salt and pepper, to taste

In a food processor, pulse the basil leaves until they are chopped. Start adding the olive oil in a steady stream until the mixtures reaches a texture much looser than a pesto. Adjust the amount of olive oil based on how thick you want the basil oil to be. When the texture is right, add salt and pepper to taste and process for another few seconds or until smooth enough.

Let the oil sit at room temperature for 15 minutes to allow the flavors to meld. After this, basil oil keeps in the refrigerator for 3 days to a week (after this it will still be good, but not as flavorful).

Beet Greens, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Bites, two ways

Baked bites

I had a lot of beet greens leftover from beets, and I wanted to try something new with them. I also really wanted to make fresh ricotta, so I thought I would try combining those two ingredients. Part of this idea came from how much I like Pi Bites at Pi, which are fontina and prosciutto rolled in bread crumbs and baked. I thought ricotta and beet greens, blended together and then mixed with some prosciutto might work well in a similar format. I'm sure they would also be good deep fried... but when something is good enough without being deep fried I try to resist the urge to add that much extra fat to it.

Pan-fried bites

Beet Greens, Prosciutto, and Ricotta Bites

1 cup fresh ricotta, handmade or store-bought
1 bunch beet greens
6 ounces prosciutto, in a small dice
lemon zest from 1 lemon
salt and pepper, to taste
bread crumbs



Steam or saute the beet greens until they are fully cooked. In a food processor, puree the greens (they will look more red than green if they came from red beets).Add the ricotta and lemon zest, and blend just to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste (be light on salt since the prosciutto is salty), and then some bread crumbs if it seems too thin to form into balls. Stir in the prosciutto, and refrigerate the mixture so that it firms up some.


1 cup fresh bread crumbs
1/2 cup parmigiano, optional
2 tablespoons olive oil

Combine the bread crumbs, cheese, and olive oil on a plate. Using two spoons, take a piece of the dough and drop it into the bread crumb mixture. Roll it around until it is coated, and then, put it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.

Pan-fried bites

For baked bites: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bake the bites for 10 to 15 minutes, or until browned and hot through. Serve warm, on a bed of greens if you like.

For pan-fried bites: Heat 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Press the round balls into flatter cakes. Add the bites to the hot pan, and fry for a couple minutes on each side, making sure both sides are browned. Serve warm, on a bed of greens if you like.

Seared Scallops over Summer Vegetable Crudo

According to my parents, I loved scallops before the age of five. I don't remember that. What I do remember is hating scallops up until my early teens, when I finally started to warm to them again. Now I think they are delicious, so long as they are the big kind, not overcooked, and not steamed or something.

I had a delicious scallop dish at Niche, and so I had scallops on my mind when my mostly-vegetarian friend Amanda Perry came to town. Straub's had some lovely looking big scallops, so I picked them up and thought through how to pair them with some of the fresh veggies I got from the market the weekend before. I settled on a sort of raw vegetable salad, centered around summer squash and ripe red tomato. I love the colors, and so I added some crisp green beans as well. To bring all the flavors together, emphasize the sweetness of the veggies, and also bring a little acid into the dish, I added a balsamic reduction. Then I seared the scallops, sliced them horizontally (as Niche did), and placed them on top of the "crudo."

This dish is light and summery--perfect for an appetizer or as a light lunch if served with a soup or some bread. It doesn't take long to prepare and yet looks beautiful when served.

Seared Scallops over Summer Vegetable Crudo
Serves 2

1 ripe tomato
4 large scallops
small handful thin green beans
1 summer squash
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper

Make the balsamic reduction by boiling the balsamic vinegar for about 10 minutes or until it is as reduced as you want it to be. Let it cool.

Using a mandoline or other slicer, very thinly slice the summer squash lengthwise. Place the squash in a strainer with a few big sprinkles of salt. Let it sit for about 15 minutes and then press out some of the water.

Slice the tomato into very thin wedges. Cut the green beans into half inch pieces. Arrange the squash and tomato on two plates, alternating and overlapping them in a line in the middle of each plate. Sprinkle the green beans on the sides of the plate.

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over high heat until the oil is very hot. Lower the scallops into the pan with tongs (the oil might splatter). Sear on one side for a few minutes, or until it is browned. Turn over and brown the other side. Remove the scallops from the pan and slice them lengthwise. Arrange them on top of the squash and tomatoes, and drizzle the balsamic reduction on the side before serving.

Coconut Red Curry Lamb Satay with Hoisin Peanut Sauce

This is an adaptation of typical Thai satay, using lamb instead of beef and a Vietnamese-style peanut sauce. This type of food is excellent on a hot summers day or as part of a grilling party. It would also be good with beef, but lamb has such a great flavor and goes so well with red curry that I prefer it.

I buy very thinly sliced lamb at Seafood City (Asian grocery on Olive, for those readers in St. Louis), but you can easily slice your own. The easiest way to slice meat very thinly is to partially freeze it first, so it is firm enough to slice.

Coconut Red Curry Lamb Satay: 
     makes enough for 4 to 6 people

1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup to 1/3 cup red curry paste
3 tablespoons fish sauce
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon crushed coriander seeds
1.5 pounds very thinly sliced lamb shoulder
long wooden skewers

In a medium sized mixing bowl, stir together the first five ingredients. Add the lamb and make sure all side of each piece are coated in the marinade. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate it for 2 to 24 hours (the longer you let it marinate, the more flavor it will have).

Soak the skewers in cold water for 30 minutes. While you heat the grill, thread the meat onto the skewers. The meat should be folded  tightly and threaded onto the skewers (see the picture above).

Heat a charcoal grill until it is very hot. Grill the skewers for a few minutes on each side, or until they are browned (a few burnt tips are good too) nicely and fully cooked. Serve hot with peanut sauce.

Hoisin Peanut Sauce:
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter (if you use chunky you may not need the additional peanuts)
1/4 cup water or coconut milk (depending on your taste and what is available)
1 tablespoon oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon tomato paste
4 tablespoons hoisin sauce, plus extra if you want
1 teaspoon fish sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame seeds
3 tablespoons peanuts, crushed with a mortar and pestle

Whisk together the peanut butter and water together in a small bowl.

In a small pan, heat the oil. Cook the garlic and red pepper flakes in the oil for 1 minute, then add the tomato paste and cook for another 30 seconds. Remove the pan from the heat and use a rubber spatula to transfer the garlic/pepper/tomato mixture to the bowl with the peanut butter. Add the hoisin sauce and fish sauce and stir everything together until smooth. Stir in the sesame seeds and peanuts. Thin with additional water or coconut milk if necessary. Adjust the seasonings based on your taste.

Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Balls, served with Sliced Asian Pears

I recently came up with this elegant yet simple hors d'ouevre, and I've already made it a few times. It's perfect party food--it comes in individual servings, is easy to pick up, doesn't need to be hot, and is dangerously addictive. Even better, it's very easy to prepare.

Pistachio Crusted Goat Cheese Balls

equal parts chevre and mascarpone cheeses
pistachios, crushed in a mortar and pestle or food processor (you want some bigger pieces for texture)

Mix together the two cheeses. Spread the pistachios out on a plate. Take a spoonful of the cheese, and form into balls about 3/4 inch in diameter. Roll in the pistachios to coat thoroughly. Repeat with the rest of the cheese.

I like to serve these with sliced Asian pears. Their sweetness and crunch provides an ideal contrast to the savory softness of the goat cheese.

Mosaic-inspired Korean Pulled Pork in a Roasted Apple

The other day, to celebrate my first job/internship offer, Mitch and I went to a "fusion tapas" restaurant downtown called Mosaic. The food and drinks were great--fresh raspberry mojitos, compressed watermelon, arugula, and goat cheese salad, and fried artichoke hearts. But, as usual, I had to realize that there were more delicious sounding things on the menu than we could eat in one night.

So I got out my little green book and wrote detailed descriptions of the menu items we didn't order but wished we had. And a few days later, I went about trying to make the first one--Pulled Korean BBQ Pork in an Apple.

I started looking up what Korean Pulled Pork might be, and I got some good ideas from other food blogs, but I ended up just going with my instincts about what might taste good. And it did taste quite good--definitely worth making again someday. When I asked Mitch if there was anything I should change, he just said "there could be more of it," at which point I told him there was a lot more in a bowl in the kitchen. It makes a lovely appetizer, and the leftover pulled pork makes delicious sandwiches (I made Banh Mi with it).


Ingredients: pork shoulder, a few large cooking apples, 1 ripe pear, soy sauce, fresh ginger, garlic, sesame, a bunch of scallions, brown sugar, gochujang (optional), chili garlic sauce, sour cream

I ended up using a version of a marinade I use for Korean-inspired grilled short ribs--a delicious combination of a ripe pear, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, sesame, scallion, and brown sugar, all blended to a puree. This time I added extra chili garlic sauce and some gochujang--a Korean fermented chili and soy condiment available at Asian grocery stores.

I'm sure pulled pork is best done in the oven, but when it is hot outside and/or I want to leave the house during the day and not worry that it might burn down, I prefer the slow-cooker. I took a pork shoulder, removed the bones and some of the fat, cut it into a few pieces, and tossed it in the slow cooker with the marinade. I then let this cook for about 8 hours on low heat, at which point the pork was very tender. After removing the pork from the cooker and allowing it to cool slightly, I took a couple forks and began the process of "pulling" it. It ends up being a lot easier to just use your hands as soon as the pork is cool enough.

Once it was all pulled apart, I put the pork back in the sauce in the slow cooker, and let it continue to cook. While it is cooking, take a large cooking apple, cut it in half, and remove the core and some of the good part of the apple to turn it into a bowl of sorts. Do this for as many apples as you want to serve--there will be more than enough pork if you use a whole pork shoulder cut.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F, and place the apple halves cut side up in an oven proof dish large enough to hold them. Using a slotted spoon, fill each apple with pulled pork, trying not to include much of the juices. Bake the filled apples for about 20 minutes, or until the apple is fully cooked.

While the apples are cooking, heat some sliced scallions in a bit of oil in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Cook these for 10 minutes, or until the scallions are very soft. Fold into a bit of sour cream.

Then, to serve, I took the apples out of the oven, transferred them with a large spoon to soup bowls, topped with a bit of sauce from the slow cooker, and then finished them off with a dollop of scallion sour cream. (I meant to garnish them with pistachios, but I had clearly forgotten that I ate the entire bag of pistachios a few days before while watching The West Wing.)