Eggplant Farro Salad, plus Chicory and Prosciutto

A good and simple farro salad made with sauteed eggplant, fennel seeds, bitter chicory leaves and topped with Prosciutto, pine nuts and shavings of Parmigiano. Served with a simple and tangy dressing it's the solid mix of salty and sweet.

We love using farro for soups and salads, especially during Autumn/Winter. Our Tuscan Farro Soup and Butternut Squash Salad are some of our favourites and are so comforting.

This farro salad is as good. It uses eggplant that's sauteed with garlic and fennel seeds, bitter greens, nutty farro tossed in a simple dressing and topped with salty prosciutto, shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano and pine nuts – so good and full of flavour.

There are so many ways to adapt this salad depending on the season or what you're craving. Why not add burrata and sundried tomatoes (so good) or swap the eggplant for zucchini or squash.

Ingredient notes and substitutions

• Farro – if you can't find farro you can use pearl barley instead.
• Eggplant (aubergine) – you can swap this for zucchini (courgette) or even squash but you'll need to cook the squash for longer until soft.
• Chicory and arugula are good bitter salad leaves/greens that go well with the rest of the salty and sweet ingredients. If they are too bitter for you, you can swap them for whichever salad leaves you prefer.

Step by step photos and instructions

1. Saute the eggplant – cut the eggplant into small cubes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan on a medium heat. Once hot add the eggplant and sauté (photo 1).
2. When the eggplant starts to soften add the garlic, fennel seeds and a good pinch of salt and continue sautéing until the eggplant is soft and cooked through, set aside (photo 2).

1. Mix together – put the cooked eggplant and farro in a large mixing bowl (photo 3).
2. Make the dressing – whisk all the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl until combined (photo 4).
3. Add the salad leaves to the farro and pour over the dressing, toss to combine (photos 5 and 6).

1. Serve – serve the salad in bowls topped with pieces of torn prosciutto (1-2 slices per person), Parmigiano Reggiano shavings, a few pine nuts and black pepper (photos 7 and 8).

Recipe Tips

• Eggplant alternative – you can swap the eggplant (aubergine) for zucchini or even squash depending on what is in season. cook the squash for longer until soft.
• Other nuts that work well – instead of pine nuts you could use walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios.
• Add burrata – burrata is also a good addition.
• Add sun-dried tomatoes – these add another good pop of flavour and go well if you're adding burrata too!
• Leftovers – leftover salad will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.

More good salads to try

Salads

Warm Farro Salad with Butternut Squash and Gorgonzola

Salads

Grilled Romaine with Creamy Caper Dressing

Salads

Chickpea Tuna Salad

Salads

Cannellini Bean Salad with Tuna and Tropea Onions

Ingredients

Makes 4 servings

• 1 cup (200g) farro or pearl barley ((raw, uncooked))
• 1 medium eggplant
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 head Chicory ((leaves removed, washed and dried))
• 1 large handfuls (30g) arugula (rocket)
• Pine nuts (for topping)
• Parmigiano (for topping)
• 8 slices Prosciutto
• Olive oil
• Salt

Dressing

• 3 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 squeeze lemon
• 4 tablespoons olive oil
• salt and pepper (to season)

Method

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it well. Add the farro and cook according to packet instructions until cooked through. A lot of brands vary but we cook ours for 18-20 minutes. Drain and let it cool.

2. While the farro is cooking, cut the eggplant into small cubes. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to pan on a medium heat. Once hot add the eggplant and sauté.

3. When the eggplant start to soften add the garlic, fennel seeds and a good pinch of salt and continue sautéing until the eggplant is soft and cooked through, set aside.

4. To make the dressing, add 3 teaspoons of red wine vinegar to a small bowl with 1 teaspoon of honey4 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 squeeze of lemon juice. Whisk everything together until well combined. Add a pinch of salt and pepper and stir.

5. Add the cooked farro and eggplant mixture to a large mixing bowl. Add the chicory leaves and a large handful of rocket toss to combine.

6. Add 3/4 of the dressing and toss to combine.

7. Divide the salad into serving bowls and top each bowl with a 2 slices of torn prosciutto crudo shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano and a sprinkling of pine nuts. Drizzle over a little more dressing and serve.

Kitchen notes

• Eggplant alternative you can swap the eggplant (aubergine) for zucchini or even squash depending on what is in season. cook the squash for longer until soft.
• Other nuts that work well instead of pine nuts you could use walnuts, hazelnuts or pistachios.
• Add burrata burrata is also a good addition
• Add sun-dried tomatoes these add another good pop of flavour and go well if you're adding burrata too!
• Leftovers leftover salad will keep well in the fridge for 2-3 days.