Wild Rice, Farro, and Tangerine Salad

In the buzz surrounding the Thanksgiving holiday, I found myself bombarded with delicious-looking fall recipes. I decided to start cooking right away, instead of waiting for Thanksgiving.

The first dish I wanted to try was a wild rice, farro, and tangerine salad from Bon Appetit. This recipe is quite simple, just make sure you set aside about an hour to cook the grains. The grains can also be made a day ahead of time.

Cooking the farro

Ingredients:
4 sprigs thyme
6 cups water or vegetable stock
1 c wild rice
1 c farro
4 tangerines or 2 oranges
1/4 c vegetable oil, I used olive
4 scallions, thinly sliced
Salt and pepper to taste

Rinse the wild rice and farro (separately) and place each in a pot with 3 c liquid, either vegetable stock, water or both. Add 2 sprigs thyme to each pot, and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and cook, partially covered, for 30-40 minutes. Taste each grain to see if is done, and discard any remaining water. The rice should cook ~5-10 minutes faster than the farro.

Wild rice, after cooking

While the grains are cooking, prep the citrus fruit. Peel and remove all of the skin and outer white layer. Here, you can either use a knife to cut the inner segments out of the skin, which is very tedious, or leave the skin on. If using oranges, slice each segment into 3-4 smaller pieces. Make sure you reserve the juice while cutting the citrus.

When the grains are done, remove the thyme, drain off any excess liquid and combine. Let cool to room temperature, if serving right away, or place in the refrigerator and chill overnight.

Whisk together the oil and orange juice, and pour over the grains. Mix thoroughly. Sprinkle in the tangerine slices, scallions, and salt and pepper. Toss and serve.

When I made this I forgot to buy scallions, so the dish was a bit more bland than I would have liked. That being said, it was still tasty and enjoyed by all.

Grains, cooling

Tangerines + juice and oil