Summer Grain Salad
w/Chickpeas, Kale + Edible Flowers

 

About this recipe:

Created for and inspired by the Fourth of July, this salad is as spectacular as the Summer’s finest fireworks display! The salad is layered with Bibb Lettuce, Baby Kale, Farro-based grain salad, Chickpeas, topped with edible Borage, Coriander, and Squash Blossoms, and dressed in a herb heavy lemon vinaigrette.

Borage, which comes in white and blue varieties, is a wonderful addition to our gardens. Bursting with flowers, it’s a great attractant for native pollinators. Every part of the Borage plant is edible and tastes like cucumbers! The leaves and stems are very hairy and prickly so they aren’t great for eating (as they tickle going down) but the flowers are tender and delicious!

Ingredients:

Salad Base:

  • 1 Head Bibb Lettuce

Dressing:

  • Juice from 1/2 a Lemon

  • 1/2 tsp Dijon Mustard

  • 1/4 cup White Wine Vinegar

  • 6 Sprigs Marjoram, Minced

  • 4 Sprigs Savory, Minced

  • 1 large Garlic Clove

  • 2 Green Onions (white parts)

  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

  • 1 tsp Wildflower Honey

  • 1/2 cup EV Olive Oil

Grain Salad:

  • 1 Cup Farro

  • 4 oz Feta (Crumbled)

  • 1 Cup Baby Kale or 4 Tuscan Kale Leaves

  • 2 Green Onions (green parts)

  • Juice from 1/2 a Lemon

  • Zest from whole lemon.

  • 1 Can Chick Peas (Drained )

  • 1/8 tsp. Kosher Salt

Garnish:

  • Borage Flowers

  • Coriander Flowers

  • Squash Blossoms

Directions:

Wash the Bibb Lettuce and Kale thoroughly, and lay leaves on a kitchen towel to air dry.

Cook the Farro:

In a medium pot, bring 4 cups of watet to a full boil. Add a heavy pinch of salt and 1 cup Farro. Maintain a boil, uncovered, until al-dente. While farro is cooking, thread the garlic clove onto a skewer (or a fork) and place in the boiling water for 2 minutes. Remove the garlic clove and reserve it for the dressing.  Once done, drain the farro into a collander and rinse quickly to stop the cooking and cool the grains, place the drained farro into a large bowl.

Make the Dressing:

Zest a whole lemon, and reserve the zest  for the grain salad, then squeeze half the lemon into a mason jar with a lid. Remove the stems and mince the marjoram and savory. Mince the garlic, and the white parts of two green onions.  To the lemon juice, add minced herbs, minced garlic, minced onions, dijon mustard, vinegar, honey, a pinch of salt, and a few cracks of black pepper. Stir or whisk to combine. Add olive oil, place the lid on the jar, and shake vigorously for 30-45 seconds untill fully emulsified.

Make the Grain Salad:

Remove the stems from the Tuscan kale and discard them.  Slice the leaves into ribbons about 1/2 wide. Place the kale in medium sized bowl and add 1/8 tsp salt  and the juice from the other half of the lemon. Grab handfuls of the kale and rub it between your fingers. The salt and lemon juice will help tenderize and slightly wilt the kale. Once all the kale has been massaged, fill the bowl with cold water and drain it through a collander. Gently squeeze out excess water, and add kale to the farro. Dice the green parts of the two green onions and add them to the bowl, add the crumbled feta, reserved lemon zest, and chick peas. Add about 1/4 cup of the dressing and stir to combine.

Assemble the Salad:

Layer the leaves of the lettuce in a large serving bowl, starting with the largest leaves and ending with the smallest. Spoon about 1/4 cup of dressing over the lettuce. Next spoon the grain salad between the lettuce leaves. Using a spoon, drizzle a little more dressing over the salad, and top with the edible flowers, starting with squash blossoms, then borage, and, ending with the coriander flowers. Serve immediately.