No new fad, ancient farro gives delicious salad ‘oomph’

The overnight sensation takes time. Consider farro.

The chewy grain turns up everywhere. It stars in soup, salads and sweets. It doubles for rice, barley and pasta. It poses in this spring salad bristling with asparagus and fennel, Insta-glam.

But farro is no flash in the pan. The ancient form of wheat has been sustaining soldiers for thousands of years. Uncooked, the lightbrown nubs once served as coin. Stockpiled, it counted as treasure. Simmered, it has bolstered generations of Italians.

With good reason. Farro is delicious, wholesome and hearty. And, unlike many a celebrity, worthy of its newfound fame.

Farro Salad

1 cup farro Kosher salt 8 spears asparagus, trimmed and peeled ¾ cup finely sliced fennel (bulb and fronds) ¼ cup finely sliced shallots ¼ cup olive oil 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice Ground black pepper 4 ounces baby arugula 1 ounce parmesan cheese

For farro in the hull, cover with cold water, stir once and let soak, 25 minutes. Drain and rinse. For hulled or “pearled” farro, skip the soak.

Drain the farro, and scoop into a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups cold water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer until tender (like rice), about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, settle asparagus in a wide skillet. Cover with cool water. Add 1 teaspoon salt. Simmer until bright green and crisp/tender, about 8 minutes. Drain. Spread out asparagus on a clean kitchen towel to cool. Roll up to dry. Cut into 1-inch lengths.

In a large bowl, toss together asparagus, fennel, shallots, olive oil and the lemon juice. Season with ½ teaspoon salt and a few grinds of pepper.

Scrape cooked farro into the bowl and toss. Let rest, 10 minutes. Add arugula and toss. Add salt if you like. Using a vegetable peeler, carve on curls of parmesan. Enjoy at room temperature.

Makes 4 cups.