Winter Farro Salad -- The Grain That Carries You Through

The real estate market is strong this week. I showed 5 properties and closed on 1. The pipeline is strong. The phone rings with the steady rhythm of a business that has taken six years to build and refuses to slow down.

Mama called at 6 AM to tell me the bakery had its best week. She reported this with the urgency of a woman who considers every piece of information critical and every phone call an opportunity to also critique my cooking from forty miles away.

I thought about Baba this week. Not the grief — the grief is always there, a familiar companion now — but the man. The way he stood at the bakery counter with his arms crossed. The way he hummed Greek songs he never knew the words to. The way he loved us in silence, which was the loudest love I have ever known.

I made moussaka because winter demands layers — eggplant, meat sauce, bechamel — each one building on the last like a warm blanket. The kitchen smelled like oregano and summer and I thought: this is what survives. Not the money or the stress or the arguments about phyllo. The food survives. The recipes survive. The love baked into every dish survives.

The house was quiet this evening. I sat at the kitchen table with a glass of wine and the remains of dinner and I thought about all the tables I have sat at — Mama's table in Tarpon Springs, the table in the South Tampa house I lost, the table in the apartment where I started over, this table where I have fed my children for years. Every table is a different chapter. The food connects them all.

The moussaka was the centerpiece of the week — the ritual, the memory, the labor of love — but it’s not what I make on a Tuesday when the phone hasn’t stopped ringing and I still need something that feels like home. On those nights, I turn to this Winter Farro Salad: ancient grain, roasted vegetables, a handful of feta because I am my mother’s daughter and feta belongs everywhere. It doesn’t have the same ceremony as moussaka, but it has the same intention — something warm, something layered, something that says you are fed and you are cared for, even when the person doing the caring is you.

Winter Farro Salad

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 4–6

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups pearled or semi-pearled farro
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• 1 small butternut squash (about 1 1/2 lbs), peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1 cup beets, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 2 medium beets)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
• 3 cups baby arugula or chopped kale
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup toasted walnuts or pecans, roughly chopped
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 3 green onions, thinly sliced
• For the vinaigrette:
• 3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 tablespoon honey or maple syrup
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1 small garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Roast the vegetables. Preheat oven to 400°F. Spread the butternut squash and beets on a large rimmed baking sheet in a single layer (keep them separated if possible, as beets will bleed). Toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Roast for 28–35 minutes, flipping once halfway through, until tender and caramelized at the edges. Set aside to cool slightly.
2. Cook the farro. Combine farro and broth in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce to a simmer. Cook uncovered for 25–30 minutes until farro is tender but still has a pleasant chew. Drain any excess liquid and spread on a sheet pan to cool for 10 minutes.
3. Make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the apple cider vinegar, honey, Dijon mustard, and garlic in a small bowl. Slowly drizzle in the 1/4 cup olive oil while whisking continuously until emulsified. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Assemble the salad. In a large bowl, combine the warm farro with the arugula or kale and half the vinaigrette, tossing until the greens are just wilted. Fold in the roasted squash and beets gently.
5. Add toppings and serve. Transfer to a serving platter or individual bowls. Top with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts, crumbled feta, and sliced green onions. Drizzle with remaining vinaigrette. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 420 | Protein: 12g | Fat: 19g | Carbs: 54g | Fiber: 8g | Sodium: 580mg