How to make Ina Garten’s favorite vegetarian dish? Recipe explored

Renowned cook, author, and host Ina Garten recently shared her favorite vegetarian dish. In a recent interview, she revealed that her favorite vegetarian dish is Charlie Bird's Farro Salad.

Ina Garten is a well-renowned cook and author. Her show Barefoot Contessa received huge adulation from fans across the world. In it, Garten shares some simple but really delicious recipes. She also speaks about cooking basics to make it easier for people to recreate her dishes.

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Charlie Bird's Farro Salad's history

In a recent appearance on Nashville Antiques and Garden Show, Ina Garten that her favorite vegetarian recipe is the Charlie Bird's Farro Salad. Where does the name come from?

The name comes from a New York restaurant named 'Charlie Bird' that had a simple farro salad on its menu. Ina Garten recreated the dish in 2018 for her cookbook named 'Cook Like A Pro'. A few years ago, she shared the recipe on her website and on Instagram.

Farro, meanwhile, is a grain that is obtained from different species of wheat. After cooking, it can be used as a side dish or in soups, salads, stews, and many other dishes.

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Ina Garten's Charlie Bird's Farro Salad's Recipe

Let's take a look at how to make a light but delicious dish, as per Ina Garten's recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup pearled farro (6 ounces)
• 1 cup fresh apple cider
• 2 bay leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• ½ cup good olive oil
• ¼ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
• ½ cup roasted, salted pistachios, whole or chopped
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh parsley
• 1 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
• 1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes, halved through the stem
• ¹⁄3 cup thinly sliced radishes (2 to 3 radishes)
• 2 cups baby arugula
• ½ cup shaved Italian Parmesan cheese
• Flaked sea salt, such as Maldon

Process:

The recipe starts with preparing and cooking the farro. For that, put the pearled farro into a saucepan and add bay leaves, salt, and apple cider. Add two cups of water and let it simmer for around 30 minutes.

If the farro absorbs all the water, you can add more but start with two cups. After the farro is tender, drain it, and remove the bay leaves. This process can be done a day in advance and you can store the tender and drained farro.

Now, prepare the vinegarette. For this, whisk olive oil, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper together in a measuring cup.

Now mix this vinegarette with the warm and tender farro properly and let it cool for around 15 minutes.

In the meantime, prep your vegetables and other ingredients for the salad. Chop the herbs, thinly slice the radishes, and halve the cherry tomatoes. When the farro is cooled down enough, add these ingredients to it. Add the pistachios and arugula leaves and gently fold them into the farro. Add shaved Parmesan cheese and continue the folding. Finally, top it off with some salt and serve.

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The best part about Ina Garten's favorite Charlie Bird's Farro Salad is that it can be made and consumed all year round. Unlike a majority of the salads, which are fresh and light and generally meant for the summer, this salad also provides warmth and is filling.

Moreover, all of the ingredients required to make the Farro Salad are also available throughout the year.