The other night my family went out to dinner, intended to hit up the local Vietnamese place for some pho and banh mi. Yet somehow we ended up at the restaurant next door, a new place, that describes itself using every possible restaurant cliché of the moment. Chef-driven, locally sourced, seasonally inspired, blah, blah, blah.
Between the exposed brick walls, the reclaimed wood tables, the copper bar and the bartender with giant holes in his earlobes, this place was falling over itself trying to be hip. Yet, they still ended up serving buttered noodles to my nine year old on a Monday night. Take that, hipsters.
Although I am being snarky, the food was a cut above what we usually get in downtown Oak Park and those of us not eating buttered noodles enjoyed our meals quite a bit. Zuzu declared that she would happily order her crispy pork belly with a honey chili glaze over kim chi again. (She’s kind of the opposite of her brother, Mr. Buttered Noodles. Thank god.)
I was a fan of the roasted squash risotto with shishito pepper and crispy rice paper. (I told you that this place is trying to check all the boxes.) And Monday nights just happen to be half-off any glass of wine, so I indulged in a delightfully dry Gran Cru Blanc de Blanc from Alsace.
Not only did we discover a new place to eat close to home — so long as they keep those buttered noodles coming, mind you — but I came away inspired to try and recreate one of the dishes on the menu: a “seasonlly-inspired” fall salad with baby lettuces, farro, crumbled chèvre, pickled red onion and beautiful, sliced poached pears all drizzled with a citrus vinaigrette.
It is a bit of a joke among my family that I will order anything with farro in it. It’s true, I’m afraid. I love this toothy little grain. Not only do I order it in restaurants, but I also love to cook farro at home. There is some confusion about what farro is exactly because it sometimes goes by other names, including spelt and einkorn. Grains of farro are about the size and shape of rice, but pale brown in color.
With twice the fiber and protein of modern wheat, farro is exactly the kind of whole grain that we should eat more often. It does not need to be soaked and cooks quickly, making it an ideal whole grain for nutritious weeknight meals. Or lunchtime salads. Let me assure you, however, that I am obsessed with farro not because of how healthy it is, but because of this ancient grain’s nutty taste and springy, al dente texture.
So it is no surprise that I wanted to try my hand at recreating this restaurant farro salad. But in this case, I was equally intrigued by the dish’s other elements, such as the pickled red onion and the poached pears.
Ever since I attended IFBC, the International Food Bloggers Conference, in Sacramento this past August and had a chance to learn more about California Pears, I have been waiting for pear season. California pears are harvested in July and August, but our local pears tend to arrive later, in September and August.
Although much of my attention this month is focused on apples, I do like to make sure to give pears some love. Pears have a delicate taste and can make for an elegant presentation. I like to bake with pears, preserve them as pear butter or pear sauce, and, of course, poach them. Pears are an ideal candidate for poaching because they retain their shape so well, especially if you select a firm variety like Bosc, and poaching can elevate a so-so or not-quite-ripe pear.
You may think that this salad recipe has too many steps. You have to make a quick pickle with the red onion. Then you have to poach the pears. Then you have to cook the farro. That’s why restaurant salads are so much fancier and more interesting than salads we make at home: no one wants to go to the trouble to prepare all the different components that, combined, make a delicious, well-balanced salad.
But I would argue that we need to think about salads differently. Or at least think about the components differently. Don’t think about pickling the red onions just for this salad, for example. Make a large batch of quick-pickled red onions, which is very easy to do, and then you have them on hand to add to all sorts of dishes from salads to tacos to sandwiches. These quick pickled red onions will make so many dishes more lively and interesting and all you have to do is whip up a quick batch over the weekend.
Similarly, you can poach a large batch of pears and keep them in the refrigerator, in their poaching liquid, for a week at a time, and they will only get more flavorful the longer they sit. You can then add the poached pears to salads, or your morning granola, or make a quick dessert out by topping a bowlful of poached pears with creme fraiche. Poached pears are a versatile, seasonal treat and worth the very minimal effort to make them.
Once you have all the different elements, this salad is a cinch to throw together. And the final result is really impressive. With some protein, this salad could easily be a full meal, perfect for an elegant lunch. Or, serve it as a first course at your next dinner party. But don’t wait too long. Now is the perfect time to play around with poached pears.
Ingredients
- 1 cup apple cider vinegar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 tsp sugar
- 1 red onion, peeled and sliced
- 1 clove garlic, peeled
- 1/2 tsp peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp coriander seeds (optional)
- 4 firm pears, peeled, cored and quartered
- 1 cup red wine
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 star anise
- 1/2 tsp cloves
- 1 cup farro
- 3 cups chicken broth
- Pinch of salt
- 8 TB fruity extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 TB freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 10 oz mixed baby lettuce
- 4 oz fresh goat cheese, crumbled
Instructions
- To make the pickled red onions, combine the vinegar, salt and sugar with two cups of water in a small saucepan and bring to a boil stirring to dissolve the salt and sugar.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool.
- Place the sliced red onion, garlic, peppercorns and coriander seeds in a quart-sized jar.
- Pour the brine into the jar. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes prior to using. (Onions will keep for several weeks.)
- To poach the pears, in a medium sauce pan, combine the red wine with 2 cups of water and add the honey, cinnamon stick, star anise, and cloves. Heat over medium heat, stirring to dissolve the honey.
- Add the pear quarters and bring to a boil.
- Reduce heat and simmer until pears are cooked through, 15-25 minutes.
- Allow to cool. Refrigerate pears in the poaching liquid until needed.
- To make the farro, combine the farro, chicken broth and salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until farro is tender, about 20-25 minutes. Drain in a colander, then place in a small bowl.
- While the farro is still warm, whisk together the olive oil and lemon juice for the dressing. Add half the dressing to the warm farro and set aside. (The farro will absorb the dressing better when it is warm.)
- To assemble the salad, combine the lettuce and farro in a large serving bowl.
- Slice the poached pears and add them to the salad along with the pickled red onion. Crumble the goat cheese over the top.
- Drizzle the remaining dressing over the salad and season with salt and pepper.
