Farro Salad with Roasted Butternut Squash & Grapes

From the blog For Love of the Table

2/3 c. pecans or walnuts

4 c. cubed (1/2-inch) butternut squash, (from a 2 lb. squash, peel and seed before dicing)

3 to 4 T. olive oil

1 T. Brown sugar

1 medium red onion (about 8 to 10 oz.), halved, cored and sliced 1/4-inch thick

3 c. large red, seedless grapes, halved (about 14 oz.)

1 c. pearled or semi-pearled farro

2 T. sherry vinegar

2 oz. baby kale, arugula, baby spinach or other young, hearty green

Salt & pepper

4 oz. goat cheese, crumbled

Spread the nuts on a small baking sheet and toast in a preheated 350° oven until golden and fragrant...about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate to cool. When cool enough to handle, break the nuts into coarse pieces, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Set aside. Increase the oven temperature to 425°.

In a large bowl, toss the squash and onions with enough olive oil to coat and season with salt, pepper and brown sugar. Spread in a snug single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet and roast until tender and caramelized, stirring once and being careful not to tear the squash—about 20 to 30 minutes (see note). Toss the grapes with a tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and scatter over the caramelized squash and onions. Return the pan to the oven and continue to roast, stirring once, until the grapes are just tender...another 10 to 20 minutes or so. Set aside.

While the vegetables and grapes roast, bring a pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farro and simmer until tender (it should still have texture)...about 25 minutes. Drain well. Transfer to a large wide bowl. Add the vegetables and sherry vinegar and toss to combine. Because the salad is to be served slightly warm, or at room temperature, the farro and vegetables need to cool a bit. This is best accomplished by spreading it out in the bowl a bit (as opposed to mounding it in the center). You can also spread the mixture out on the baking sheet the vegetables were roasted on (return everything to the bowl to finish the salad).

When the farro has cooled to the point you want, add the baby kale and toss to combine. Taste and correct the seasoning with vinegar, salt & pepper. If the salad seems dry, drizzle with a bit of olive oil. Transfer to a platter or individual plates and scatter the goat cheese and nuts over all and serve.

Serves 4 as an entrée....6 to 8 as a side.

(Recipe adapted from Martha Stewart)

Note: The length of time you roast the squash before adding the grapes will depend on the firmness of the grapes. Softer, riper grapes will only need about 10 minutes in the oven...so they will be added when the squash and onions have been in the oven about 30 minutes (a little more or less, depending on your oven...you want them to be tender and beginning to nicely caramelize). If your grapes are very firm, they might take as long as 20 minutes. The squash and onions should be just beginning to caramelize when you add these firmer grapes. Basically the total roasting time should be about 40 minutes...adding the grapes at the optimal point so they are just tender when the squash and onions are well caramelized.

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As published on forloveofthetable.com