Farro Salad

Ingredients

• Shopping list: 1 cup farro, $1.50; 1 bunch Swiss chard, $2.00; 1 carrot, $0.25; 4 ounces feta, $3.00; olives
• Pantry items: olive oil, red wine vinegar, salt, pepper, garlic.
• 1 cup farro
• Salt
• Red wine vinegar
• 1 bunch Swiss chard, cleaned, stems removed and chopped into 1/4 inch dice, leaves roughly chopped
• 1 carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4 inch dice
• Olive oil
• 1 clove garlic, peeled and smashed
• Pepper
• 4 ounces feta
• A small handful of good black olives

Directions

1. Prepare the farro as directed on the package. The brand called for here simmers for 25 minutes in a quart of salted water. Drain it well, transfer it to a large bowl, and, while it is warm, stir in 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar.
2. Steam the chard leaves next. Add the rinsed leaves, with the water still clinging to them, to a saucepan, then pour in an extra splash of water. Cover the pan, set it over medium heat, and cook until the leaves are tender but not collapsing into mush. Check occasionally, stirring with a spoon and tasting as you go; this generally takes about 5 minutes. Drain the leaves in a colander. Once they are cool enough to pick up comfortably, chop them.
3. In the same saucepan you used for the chard leaves, cook the carrot and chard stems with a glug of olive oil and the garlic. Any leftover chard liquid in the pan can stay right where it is. Set the heat to medium-low and cook gently, adjusting the heat as needed, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Add salt and pepper.
4. Combine the farro, chopped chard leaves, chard stems, and carrots in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and 2 tablespoons olive oil, then season with 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Toss everything together, taste, and add more oil, salt, or pepper if it needs it. Serve warmish, at room temperature, or cold, with about an ounce of feta and a few olives for each person.