My dad and his wife discovered this classic summer recipe from a hand out at New York City’s Green Market. It was typed on a piece of paper so I can’t link to it here but it is typed out below for your reference. I never thought I liked farro until I tasted this. It looks like a normal potluck-type side salad, but it is surprisingly delightful and really steals the show of any meal that it’s served with. The currants sweeten it up, the pine nuts give it a silky rich texture, and the kale…well, you know how I feel about kale! There are many steps to this dish but I can promise you that they are well worth it.

Ingredients:
-3 tblspn currants
-1.5 cups farro
-1 lb kale leaves, cut
-6 tblspn olive oil
-1 red onion, sliced
-1 tblspn thyme
-1 sprig rosemary
-1 dried mild chili, thinly sliced
-3 tblspn toasted pine nuts
-2 tblspn chopped parsley
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-Salt and pepper

Directions:
-Soak currants in a bowl of hot water for 10 minutes, then drain
-Meanwhile, boil a pot of salted water
-Blanch the kale for 1-2 minutes in the boiling water.
-Pull out the kale- strain, dry, and chop (Don’t throw out the cooking water!)
-Bring the water back to a boil and add the farro
-Cook for 10-12 minutes, or until tender
-Drain farro and spread it out on a baking sheet to cool.
-Meanwhile, heat 4 tablespoons of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat
-Add onion, thyme, rosemary, chili and a pinch of salt
-Cook, stirring occasionally for about 5 minutes
-Stir in chopped kale and cook for another 5 minutes
-Move the mixture to a serving dish
-Heat another pan with 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium-high heat
-Add the cooked farro, and a pinch of salt and pepper
-Cook for 5 minutes, constantly stirring
-Add the kale back into the grain mixture in the pan
-Cook, stirring the greens and grains together, for 2-3 minutes
-Add to serving dish and stir in currants, pine nuts, and parsley
-Clean the pan and set it back over medium heat
-Add the balsamic vinegar and reduce until it looks like it’s about 1 tablespoon of liquid
-Add the reduced balsamic into the farro dish
-Enjoy!