Farro Cucumber Salad

This recipe for farro cucumber salad is from Laurie Zwaan, whose family owns and runs Champlain Valley Apiaries in Middlebury, Vermont, has just a hint of sweetness from honey in the dressing. A food processor makes the preparation of the vegetables quick and easy, but a good kitchen knife will work just as well.

Farro is an ancient grain. Read more about this fascinating topic in The Appeal of Ancient Wheat: Why Spelt, Emmer, Einkorn, and Kamut® Return to Our Table

1. 1. For the salad: Place a large pot (2 to 3 liters/quarts) of water over high heat and bring to a boil. When the water is boiling, add the farro and reduce the heat to low. Partially cover and simmer until the grains are just tender, 15-20 minutes. Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.

2. Put the raisins in a small bowl and cover with hot water; set aside. Using a food processor, finely chop the parsley, then transfer it to the bowl of farro. Add the celery to the unwashed food processor and process until finely chopped. Add to the bowl of farro.

3. Add the cucumbers to the processor. Pulse the cucumbers only until small, being careful not to overprocess. Transfer the chopped cucumbers to a fine-meshed strainer and press gently to extract the excess liquid. Add the cucumbers to the bowl of farro and toss to mix.

4. For the dressing: Put the shallots in the still-unwashed food processor and finely chop. Transfer to a medium mixing bowl. Add the honey, orange juice, orange zest, and vinegar. Whisk to blend. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste and whisk again. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently to mix well. Transfer to a decora­tive serving bowl, cover, and refrigerate until ready to serve.