Katie Button's Hearty Winter Salad

Winter Farro Salad with Soy-Maple Vinaigrette

by Katie Button
Total 1 hour | Active 30 minutes
Makes 8 servings

During the cold weather months, it’s lovely to have a hearty and flavorful salad to balance out all the stews and typical winter food. Farro is an ancient grain that tastes nutty and earthy and lends great texture to this salad, which is particularly easy to double for a crowd. The maple syrup in the dressing helps bind everything together and gives it a creamy mouth feel. Remember to strive for caramelization on the roasted veggies -- those browned bits are packed with flavor!

Ingredients

Salad

  • 1/2 cup farro
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 pound peeled, seeded butternut squash, diced small
  • Extra-virgin olive oil to drizzle
  • 1/2 pound Brussels sprouts, halved
  • 1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
  • 1 cup croutons
  • 1 small head radicchio
  • 1/2 head escarole

Dressing

  • 1 large shallot, minced
  • 3 tablespoons pure maple syrup
  • 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon thyme leaves picked from the stem
  • Squeeze of lemon
  • Kosher salt

Directions

  1. Make the salad: Preheat the oven to 450°F.
  2. Cook the farro according to the package directions. Generally, 2 quarts boiling water and 1 teaspoon salt for 1/2 cup farro do the trick. After it is fully cooked, drain the excess water and place the farro in a medium bowl. Refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to cool slightly.
  3. While the farro is cooking, toss the butternut squash in a bit of olive oil and spread out on a rimmed baking sheet, so it takes up only half of the tray. Similarly, toss the Brussels sprouts with olive oil and spread out on the other half of the tray. Roast together in the oven until tender and caramelized, about 10 minutes. Let cool.
  4. Make the dressing: Combine the shallot, maple syrup, vinegar, soy sauce, Dijon, thyme, lemon juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a medium bowl and whisk together.
  5. Tear the radicchio and escarole leaves into bite-size pieces and place them in a large bowl. Add the cooled farro, roasted squash and Brussels sprouts, pumpkin seeds, and croutons and toss with the dressing. This salad is best served at room temperature.
Back to recipes