Farro, Date and Asparagus Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

The days of the simple iceberg salad are gone. Don’t hear me wrong, I still love an iceberg salad with handmade blue cheese dressing, tomatoes and crumbled bacon. I should clarify by saying that the evolution of salads is far more creative. From the bright caprese salad to quinoa to shaved vegetable salads – the variations today are imaginative, inspiring and flavorful.

A couple weeks ago my friend Helen and I ventured to the San Francisco Ferry Building on a Saturday to reap the rewards of the farmers market and then headed back on the bay bridge towards home. A detour was in order to Berkeley’s fourth street shopping mecca. Along with shopping, several wonderful restaurants adorn the streets. We had often passed Zut and never ventured in. Our stop was quite fruitful. We enjoyed their Farro salad that was adorned with dates, golden raisins, asparagus and walnuts.

It was such a tasty delight that I knew I needed to replicate at home. Here is my version of this lovely salad from Zut!....... Enjoy!!

Farro, Date and Asparagus Salad with Mint Vinaigrette

Makes 4 servings

1 ½ C. Farro
10 Madjool Dates, pitted and chopped
2/3 C. Raisins
16 Asparagus stalks, trimmed, grilled and cut into one inch pieces
1 C. Italian flat leaf parsley, rough chop leaves only
1 C. Walnuts, rough chop
2 T. Mint leaves, minced
1 T. Lemon zest

Heat 4 cups of water in a medium pot and add the farro to the water when boiling. Add a couple teaspoons of salt. Cook on medium  to medium high heat for about 10 minutes with the lid off until farro is tender. Drain in a colander. Set aside to cool.

Take the asparagus stalks and trim the bottom about an inch. Brush with a bit of olive oil and grill for about 2 to 3 minutes and remove from the heat. Let cool and cut into one inch pieces.

In a large bowl, add all of the above ingredients and toss. Add the vinaigrette and toss together. Taste for the addition of salt and pepper. Garnish with additional mint and lemon zest if desired. Serve.

Mint Vinaigrette

¾ C. Olive oil
3 T. Mint leaves, minced
3 T. Lemon juice
½ t. Salt
1 t. Pepper

Add all of the above ingredients to a mason jar and shake well. Let stand for 30 minutes for the flavors to develop.