Insalata tiepida di farro, cavolo rosso e trevisana - Farro Salad with Red Cabbage and Trevisana

Farro (spelt) is an ancient grain the Romans lived on for centuries. They ate farro as a whole grain or ground it into flour to make bread and pulsum, their popular version of polenta. 

farro perlato

Farro has been recently rediscovered, becoming a star in our contemporary cuisine, because of its high nutritional values. Farro means healthy food today. In Italy, we serve it all year round, combined with seasonal vegetables, fish and meat.
Farro is a versatile cereal, which can inspire your gastronomic creativity. You can never go wrong with farro: it is hard to overcook it - the opposite of rice - and everybody likes it. 

Trevisana salad, red onion, red cabbage

Here I combine farro with winter vegetables, to celebrate different shades of red. Red onion and sultanas soften the bitterness of trevisana salad.
My tip: use pearl farro (farro perlato), as the whole one (farro decorticato) never cooks.
My suggestions: serve it warm, to enhance the flavours' composition. 
As a main course, I would serve it with individual poached egg on top of each plate or with mozzarella di bufala.

Insalata tiepida di farro, cavolo rosso e trevisana
Farro Salad with Red Cabbage and Trevisana

250 g farro perlato
100 g sultanas
1 large red onion, peeled, halved and finely sliced
300 g trevisana salad, trimmed, washed and finely sliced
300 g red cabbage trimmed, washed and finely sliced
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
A rosemary sprig, chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
Extra virgin oil

Serves 5-6
Preparation time: 15 minutes
Cooking time: 45 minutes

1. Soak the sultanas in tepid water for 15 minutes. Drain and pat dry with kitchen paper.
2. In a pan cover farro with 700 ml of cold water. Add 2 teaspoons of salt and bring it to the boil. Cook until tender, approx 25 minutes. Drain, if necessary, and return to the pan. Keep warm.
3. Meanwhile, in a large frying pan heat 1 tablespoon of oil and sauté the onion with a pinch of salt for 10 minutes over low heat, until translucent. 
4. Add the cabbage and the trevisana to the onion and cook on medium to high heat for 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Do not overcook your vegetables, keep them crunchy. 
5. Stir in the sultanas along with the vinegar; adjust the seasoning and sprinkle with rosemary. Remove from the heat.
6. Arrange farro in a large bowl, drizzle with oil and mix. 
7. Combine the vegetables with farro and toss to coat. 
8. Serve tepid.