Spelt salad

Insalata di farro
Farro - spelt or emmer wheat - is very popular in health food circles, but rarely used in ordinary American and Northeuropean cooking, and that is a shame. Farro grains dominated the diet of the Roman legions when they conquered the world, it is highly nutricious, rich on natural fibers, and so versatile that it can be eaten whole where it has a nice chewy texture or ground to flour and used for pasta, polenta or bread.

In Tuscany farro has even reached IGP (Indicazione Geographica Protetta) status, and it is sold in elegant bags from high profiled food stores. IGP farro grow in the Garfagnana mountains in the province of Lucca, where it is mainly mainly used in soups, Cheaper and more anonymous farro is also readily available from supermarkets throughout Italy that offer a range of three different qualities. And they all taste great in this winter salad.

Ingredients
2 dl farro
2 celery sticks
1 yellow pepper
1 red pepper
4 tbsp olive oil
½ lemon juice


Preparation
Follow the cooking instructions on the farro packing. Sometimes the grains should be soaked before they are boiled in plenty of salted water.
When the grains are al dente – usually after 20 minutes – let them drain in a sieve, before mixing with oil and lemon juice.
Clean the vegetables, remove seeds from the peppers and chop them in regular pieces.
Mix vegetables with grains and dressing, and leave the salad to rest in a cool place before serving.