MEET THE SOUS CHEF
EMILY HANSFORD, SOUS CHEF, MILLER UNION
“The beauty of this recipe is its versatility,” says Emily Hansford, sous chef at Atlanta’s Miller Union, who created a satisfying farro salad for Sous Chef Series. Hansford, who tends a vegetable garden in her spare time, loads the grain side dish with spring vegetables and dresses it simply, with lemon juice, olive oil and fresh tarragon. It’s a delicious combination, but only a starting point: Swap vegetables and herbs depending on what is available and in season.
TRACK THIS CHEF
DAY IN THE LIFE
Garden Grown
After breakfast, which almost always consists of an egg white-vegetable scramble wrapped in a flour tortilla, Hansford tries to spend a few hours in her backyard tending to her fruits and vegetables before heading to the restaurant, where her fiancée is a cook.
TIPS & TECHNIQUES
Salt It Like You Mean It
Hansford underscores the importance of generously salting the water in which you cook farro. Doing so helps season the grain to its core, resulting in a tastier salad.
Versatile Vegetables
What Hansford likes most about this recipe is how flexible it is. Instead of lemon juice, you could use lime juice or vinegar, or try basil, mint or Thai basil in place of the tarragon. Use the vegetables she recommends if you’d like, but consider them merely a starting point. Swap in whatever looks freshest at the market.
YIELD
2 servings (plus leftovers)
INGREDIENTS
Farro, 1 cup
Vegetable broth or water, 2 cups
Dried bay leaf, 1
Kosher salt, 2½ teaspoons, divided
Lacinato kale, 4 leaves (tough stems removed and leaves torn into bite-size pieces)
Small radishes, 2 (thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
Small carrots, 2 (peeled and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
Small celery stalk with leaves, 2 (stalk thinly sliced and the leaves left whole)
Feta cheese, 4 ounces (crumbled; about ½ cup)
Fresh tarragon sprigs, 3 (leaves removed and finely chopped)
Fresh lemon juice, 2 tablespoons
Extra-virgin olive oil, 6 tablespoons
Freshly ground black pepper, ¼ teaspoon
Small red beets, 2 (peeled and thinly shaved with a vegetable peeler or a mandoline)
EQUIPMENT
or
DIRECTIONS
1. To a medium saucepan, add the:
- Farro
- Vegetable broth or water
Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the:
- Dried bay leaf
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
Simmer until the farro is tender, about 20 minutes. Transfer the farro to a fine-mesh sieve to drain off any excess water, then turn it out into a medium bowl. Remove the bay leaf and discard.
2. To the cooked farro, use a wooden spoon to stir in the:
- Torn kale
- Shaved radishes
- Shaved carrots
- Sliced celery
- Celery leaves
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Chopped tarragon
- Lemon juice
- Extra-virgin olive oil
Stir in the:
- Remaining ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Then gently fold in the:
- Shaved beets
Serve.