LAMORINDA WEEKLY | Packed with flavor, this Mediterranean meal will bowl you over


Mediterranean Farro Bowl Photo Susie Iventosch

Bowls are trendy and also a fun way to combine all sorts of your favorite ingredients into a dish that can be a complete and colorful meal! It's hard to find a menu these days that doesn't offer a "bowl" section. I probably would have called this dish a salad a few years ago, but with the major push toward bowls, it's a bowl for now! There's little difference between the two in that they are still a bunch of healthy ingredients tossed together in a bowl.

Bowls can be made in the style of many different types of cuisine from Thai or Indian to Mexican, Chinese, Greek, French, Italian . and Mediterranean. And, the great thing is that you can add whatever you like. Have it your way! Several years ago we featured our Forbidden Black Rice-Tabouli Chicken Bowl and that one is still one of our family's favorites.

For this recipe I used Trader Joe's 10-Minute Farro, which literally cooks in 10 minutes, but use any farro you like and add whatever ingredients you feel like adding or subtracting. These are really just ideas!

Mediterranean Farro Bowl

Ingredients

4-5 cups cooked farro

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 shallots, chopped

3/4 cup Kalamata olives, coarsely chopped

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes, drained of oil (if packed in oil) and cut into julienne strips

2 tablespoons julienned basil (thin strips)

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts

15-20 cherry tomatoes, quartered

4 oz. feta cheese, cubed or crumbled

6 marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped (optional)

1/2 cup garbanzo beans (optional)

1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper

1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

1/2 teaspoon salt

Dressing:

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of one-half lemon

Garnishes:

Basil

Extra pine nuts

Grated Parmesan

DIRECTIONS

Cook farro according to the directions on your package. Cool completely and place into a large bowl. Cook shallots with olive oil in a saute pan over medium heat until translucent and just beginning to turn golden-brown. Cool and add to farro in bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and toss together with the dressing. Can be served warm or at room temperature.