This salad is the inaugural recipe in what I will call my Summer Salad Series. I love coming up with new salad combinations that feature lots of vegetables, plenty of herbs and knock-your-socks-off delicious dressings.

I especially love a grain salad as it keeps well in the fridge during the week and has a bit more heft than a strictly greens-based salad. Here I’m using farro, a nutty, chewy whole grain that adds a nice texture, cooks up quickly using my pasta method and doesn’t get mushy when dressing is added like some other grains we know (ahem, quinoa).

The real star here though is the dressing. Full of lots of basil flavour, and perfectly zesty from red wine vinegar it’s something you’ll want to have in the fridge at all times. It would also be excellent drizzled on some burrata, tossed with roasted vegetables or some leafy greens.

Farro Salad with Snap Peas and Basil Vinaigrette

serves 4

1 1/2 cups farro, cooked

1 250g package of snap peas, ends trimmed, and slice in half

1 large or 2 small watermelon or regular radishes, very thinly sliced

1/2 cup of crumbled goat’s cheese or feta

For the Basil Vinaigrette:

2 cups of basil leaves, plus more for garnish

1 shallot, chopped

1 clove of garlic, grated

2 tbsp red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tsp kosher salt

pepper, to taste

1. To cook the farro, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farro, and cook until tender, 10-15 minutes, then drain.

2. Add the cooked farro to a large bowl along with the sliced snap peas and radishes.

3. To make the vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in a small blender (I use a magic bullet), and blend until smooth*.

4. Add the vinaigrette to the bowl with the farro and vegetables, and toss until everything is well coated. Stir in the goat’s cheese and a some more basil leaves if using.

*I wouldn’t recommend using a full-sized blender for this. In my experience there’s not enough volume for it to blend properly. An immersion blender or mini food processor will work though.