Truffle Oil Farro Salad with roasted mushrooms, parmesan and fresh chives

Ever since our recent trip to Vancouver, I have been dreaming about the incredible farro salad from Giovane Cafe & Wine Bar. It was so good, in fact, I ate it twice during our trip.

So I decided to recreate it at home, and I think I've come pretty close... at least if my memory serves me correctly. In any case, it's truly a delicious salad, with a subtle truffle flavour, and goes really nicely alongside fresh salad greens like arugula or watercress.

Read on for the recipe....

 Truffle Oil Farro Salad, with roasted mushrooms, shaved parmesan and fresh chives

1 cup farro (approximately 2.5 - 3 cups cooked)*
1 standard sized package of mushrooms, halved or quartered depending on size

3/4 cup kalamata olives, halved and pitted

1/4 cup chopped fresh chives (or spring onion)

1.5 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon black truffle oil**

1/2 tsp salt (adjust to personal taste)

fresh black pepper

1 scant tablespoon fresh lemon juice

parmesan shavings as garnish

optional: handful of arugula tossed in right before serving

1. Rinse farro in a fine-meshed strainer, then place in a bowl, cover with cold water and allow to soak for 1 hour. Then rinse thoroughly.
Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot, add farro, and simmer (covered) for about 45 minutes. Drain off any excess water, and set aside to cool.

     *If you cannot find farro, you can substitute whole grain spelt kernels, or soft wheat berries

2. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F. Toss the cleaned and chopped mushrooms generously with olive oil, and season with salt & pepper. Spread them out on a baking tray lined with parchment paper, and roast for approximately 25-30 minutes (until nicely browned), turning halfway... and watch towards the end to avoid burning. Then set aside to cool.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the farro, roasted mushrooms, and remaining ingredients (except, parmesan and arugula, if using).
When ready to eat, serve on a bed of arugula (or other salad greens) and sprinkle with shaved parmesan.

Enjoy!

**A note about black truffle oil: make sure to buy good quality stuff that contains actual truffle bits packed in olive oil. The artificial truffle flavoured oil is NOT the same thing, and doesn't taste nearly as good.