Spring Farro Chickpea Salad with Strawberries, Pistachios, and Fennel

By Kristy Del Coro

Yields 6 cups

This grain salad is great on its own as an easy lunch, packed up and taken to a picnic or potluck, or served family style at dinner as a tasty side dish. Feel free to make this your own and swap out the strawberries with another seasonal fruit or veggies, change up the herbs and nuts, and even swap out the chickpeas for white beans or lupini beans. Let the ratios be your guide and then riff off of it to change it up based on the time of year or the ingredients you have on hand. Some of my other favorite combos for grain salads like this are: cherries + walnuts + parsley, butternut squash + pecans + white beans + sage, and roasted summer squash + pine nuts + basil. But honestly, the possibilities of combos are endless!

Ingredients:

3 cups cooked farro (or grain of choice)

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1/3 cup shelled lightly salted pistachios

1 cup diced fresh strawberries

2/3 cup quick pickled fennel*

1/2 tsp fine sea salt (or to taste)

2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/4 cup fennel pickling liquid (or just use white wine vinegar)

2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil (or tarragon)

Optional: Top with pea shoots or other microgreens

* To make pickled fennel, cover chopped fennel in white wine vinegar and let steep for at least 30 minutes in the fridge.

Directions:

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and serve - that’s it!

👩🏻‍🍳 Tip: If you make this ahead of time, mix everything but the strawberries, fresh basil and pea shoots which are best added at the last minute.