This Mediterranean farro and white-bean salad is perfect for summer picnics

Perfect for making ahead of a summer picnic or barbecue, this farro and white-bean salad tastes even better after chilling in the fridge. It’s bright, zingy and packed with all kinds of Mediterranean flavours, including roasted eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes and artichokes. I love serving it with a soft-boiled egg or two for more protein.

You can also double the dressing recipe and stash the rest in the fridge. It’ll stay fresh for up to a week and elevate just about any salad or bowl. 

Ingredients

• 1 globe eggplant (about 454 g), cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• 1 cup farro, rinsed and cooked according to package instructions (yields about 2 cups)
• 1 (398 ml) can cannellini or white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
• ½ cup marinated artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
• 2 tbsp capers, finely chopped
• ¼ cup green olives, pitted and sliced
• 2 pepperoncini, stemmed and roughly chopped
• 1 jarred roasted red pepper, roughly chopped
• 1 shallot, finely chopped
• ½ cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• ¼ cup fresh basil, chopped
• ¼ cup crumbled feta
• ¼ cup walnuts, roughly chopped

Dressing:

• 1 head garlic
• 4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp maple syrup
• 1 tsp mustard
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes
• ½ tsp freshly ground black pepper

To serve:

• 1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
• ½ cup crumbled feta
• Handful of fresh basil

Preparation

Heat the oven to 425 F with a rack in the middle position and line a sheet pan with parchment paper.

Add the eggplant to the prepared sheet pan and toss it with olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast until golden, about 30 to 35 minutes, tossing halfway through.

Meanwhile, cut off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil and wrap it in foil. Place it on the sheet pan with the eggplant and roast for 20 minutes, then remove and let cool.

For the dressing, squeeze roasted garlic cloves into a large bowl with the kosher salt and mash with a fork. Add remaining 3 tablespoons olive oil, vinegar, maple syrup, mustard, red pepper flakes and black pepper, and whisk until the dressing is emulsified. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To the same bowl, add farro, beans, eggplant, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts, capers, olives, pepperoncini, roasted red pepper, shallot, parsley, basil, feta and walnuts. Toss well and refrigerate for up to 4 days.

When ready to serve, top with cherry tomatoes and more feta and basil.

Serves 4 to 6

Produced in collaboration with CBC Creator Network.