Salad Sunday

I made 2 salads for dinner tonight. One is a recipe I got from my cousin, Lisa, the incredible cookbook author about 20 years ago. Lisa probably doesn't make this salad anymore but I do every summer as do several of my friends who wanted the recipe. It was a pasta salad but I decided to try it with farro since I'm trying to eat whole grains. Feel free to use bow tie or penne pasta instead. The farro is delicious in this though.

The watermelon salad is from Abbey, the incredible blogger at Everyday Champagne. She's very creative and talented and this is a beautiful summer salad. See her link under "Other sites of things and places I love".

Lisa's Tuna Salad with Farro

1 1/2 cups farro
1-2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cups chicken stock
1/2 large red onion, chopped
2 pieces of celery, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1/3 cup sun dried tomatoes, drained and chopped
2 cans Italian tuna packed in olive oil, drained
1/4 cup olive oil
1/8 cup red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, pressed
1 tablespoon fresh chopped basil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon anchovy paste
kosher salt and pepper to taste

In a large pot, heat the olive oil. Add the farro and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until lightly toasted; the grains will turn slightly opaque just before browning. Add the onion cook over low heat, stirring, until the onion is softened, about 5 minutes. Add the stock and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over very low heat until the stock is absorbed about 25 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Make vinaigrette by combining last 6 ingredients. Whisk.

Add celery, scallions, pecans, sun dried tomatoes and tuna to a bowl. Stir to mix.

Add the cooled farro and the vinaigrette. Combine. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve room temperature.

Abbey's Watermelon Salad with Basil and Feta my way

1/4 of a watermelon, chopped
2 medium, ripe tomatoes, chopped
1/4 red onion, chopped
handful of fresh basil leaves, cut into chiffonade
olive oil
red wine vinegar
feta cheese
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper

Put first 4 ingredients in a large bowl.Season liberally with salt and pepper. Toss. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Toss again.
Refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour for the flavors to come together.

Before serving, toss in a handful of crumbled feta cheese.

Thanks Lisa and Abbey!

Enjoy!