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Have you ever heard of farro?

I sometimes try to think of how I went so long without ever trying this delicious grain! I was introduced to farro by my family in Italy. One of my aunts, in particular, uses it quite a bit and I have been the lucky recipient of many of her dishes featuring farro.

When cooked, farro has a chewy texture that is so good. You can eat it in hot dishes like soup, but you can also eat it at room temperature or even cold. My aunt makes a delicious salad every summer with farro as a base for lots of summer vegetables, olive oil, vinegar and a sprinkling of herbs.

This past summer, I significantly increased the weight of my luggage upon my return from Italy thanks to the packages of farro that I had stuffed in there. For some reason, I’ve found it difficult to find Italian farro here in Toronto. I’ve noticed it in a few stores but it’s not always in stock so I made sure to lug as many packages as I could with me upon my return.

I was so delighted when I saw that Issue 107 of Fine Cooking had a recipe for Roasted Broccoli and Farro Salad with Feta.

This salad is like a gift from the lunch gods. You know … the ones you pray to every day when you find yourself staring into the depths of your refrigerator whilst you wonder, “What am I going to bring for lunch?”

The recipe for this salad yields almost six cups, which makes for a perfect dinner accompaniment and lots of leftovers for lunch.

Most importantly, though, it’s delicious. Between the chewy farro, the feta, the roasted broccoli and the spicy dressing, I had to resist eating all the salad in one sitting.

And best of all, it’s full of all kinds of nutrients. If I haven’t convinced you to make it by now, I never will.

This is my entry for this edition of Magazine Mondays. Here’s who else joined me in attacking that magazine pile:

Tamy of 3 Sides of Crazy made Bacon Cheddar Cheese Balls.

Karen of Mignardies made Macaroni and Cheese from Food Network magazine.

Recipe Sleuth from Eye for a Recipe made One-pot Chicken with Sausage and Potatoes from the September 2010 issue of Everyday Food and Lamb Chops with Red Onion, Grape Tomatoes, and Feta from the November 2010 issue of Bon Appétit.

Remember that Magazine Mondays is a very informal event. Just send me a link to a magazine recipe that yo upost on your blog and I’ll link to it in the next round-up.

Have a great week, everyone!

Ciao!