Beet & Farro Salad

I am a huge fan of roasted beets, ( and they taste so good with my goat cheese!)  so that is how I cook beets for any recipe.  I hated beets as a kid, how about you?  And beet greens? HAH! I did not know that beets had greens. Then again, I hated a lot of food I love now.  Age has its privileges, eh?

Here is my favorite way to roast beets followed with one of my favorite winter salads with beets.

Heat oven to 425′

• Scrub beets, trim greens & roots off ;  save the greens.
• Put beets in roasting pan, add enough water to just cover bottom of pan. Cover tightly.
• Roast small beets about 25 minutes, large beets about 45 minutes. They are done when a knife slips in easily.
• Out of the oven,  let the beets rest a minute then plunge into cold water. The skins should slip right off.

NOTE: If you are not going to eat your beets right away, leave the skins on and keep in fridge for 2 – 3 days.

This is one of my favorite dishes with beets and goat cheese :

Farro Salad with Beets, Beet Greens and Goat cheese

• 2 medium or 3 small beets (any color) with greens, the beets roasted, the greens stemmed and washed in two changes of water
• 1 cup farro, soaked for one hour in water to cover and drained
• Salt, preferably kosher salt, to taste
• 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 1 small garlic clove, minced or pureed
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil (may substitute 1 to 2 tablespoons walnut oil for 1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil)
• 1/2 cup broken, toasted almonds, pecans or walnuts
• 2 ounces  goat cheese, crumbled (more if desired for garnish)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh herbs, such as parsley, tarragon, marjoram, chives, mint, just about whatever you may have growing.

1. Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Fill a bowl with ice water. When the water comes to a boil, add some salt  and the greens. Blanch for  1 -2  minutes,  transfer to the ice water. SAVE the water!  Allow  greens to cool for a few minutes, then drain and squeeze out excess water. Chop coarsely and set aside.
2. Bring the water back to a boil, and add the farro. Reduce the heat, cover and simmer 45 minutes, stirring from time to time, or until the farro is tender. Remove from the heat and allow the grains to swell in the cooking water for 10 minutes, then drain.
3. While the farro is cooking, make the vinaigrette. Whisk together the vinegars, salt, garlic and mustard. Whisk in the oil(s). Add to the farro. Peel and dice the beets and add, along with the beet greens,  goat cheese, herbs and nuts. Toss together, and serve warm or room temperature with a little more cheese sprinkled over the top if you wish.

This time of year, add a chopped fresh apple or pear!