Roast Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Vinocotto Dressing

Roast Cauliflower and Farro Salad with Vino Cotto dressing

This is a wonderful way to enjoy the nutty grain texture of farro and roasted cauliflower with it’s robust aroma.  A great salad enjoyed with sardines and other oily flesh fish or on it’s own as a wholesome snack.

Serves 6-8

Ingredients
200 gms farro, rinsed and drained well
1 carrot, halved
1 small onion, halved
1 celery stick, halved
1 bay leaf
1 large cauliflower, cut into florets
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted
1/2 cup fresh mint

Dressing
100ml vino cotto
2 tbsp currants
1/4 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced

 

Method
In a large saucepan, combine farro, carrots, onion, celery, garlic and bay leaf. Add enough water to cover the farro by 2 inches and bring to a simmer over a high heat. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook farro until it is tender by still chewy, approx. 20 minutes.  Alternatively, check cooking time as per Farro packet instruction.

Drain well and transfer farro to a large platter to cool. Remove vegetables and herbs and discard, they are only used to infuse flavour to the farro.

Preheat oven to 200C.

Place pine nuts on an oven tray and roast for 4-6minutes. Set aside.

Place cauliflower in a roasting pan and drizzle with half the oil, season to taste and toss. Roast turning occasionally until golden and slightly crunchy, approx.. 20minutes. Cover with foil if tips of cauliflower begin to burn.

Meanwhile, make the dressing by adding Vino Cotto to a small saucepan and bring to a gentle simmer. Add onion and currants and stir through for 1 minute. Set aside.

In a serving bowl, add the farro, roasted cauliflower and the dressing. Stir to combine. Scatter the pine nuts over the cauliflower salad, drizzle with remaining oil and scatter with mint.

Enjoy!

Buy the Vino Cotto you need for this recipe online. Click here.