lately, all i can think about is the recipe for "variations on caramel" in eric ripert's le bernadin cookbook. its introduction warns you against making it. there are three pages of ingredients followed by 17 steps, each a paragraph long. it requires shaping caramel snowballs and piping caramel mousse into brittle, translucent caramel cups. i must (must, must, must!) make it. when it comes to recipes, i go straight for the proust. unless it has six ingredients which are farro, edamame, arugula, tomatoes, aged balsamic and extra virgin olive oil. and three steps, one of which is boiling water. and is almost as seductive as, say, a caramel snowball when you spoon it on the plate, glistening, bright, lazily co-mingling.
farro with edamame, arugula & tomato vinaigrette
(serves 6 as a side dish or salad)
2 cups farro
1 pound fresh or frozen shelled edamame
5 - 6 ounces arugula
2 medium heirloom tomatoes, cored and chopped into 1/4 - 1/2 inch chunks
2 tablespoons aged balsamic vinegar
2 small garlic cloves, minced (optional)
1/3 - 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt + cracked black pepper
boil three quarts of water in a large pot. generously salt the water and add the farro. cook for 20-35 minutes, tasting periodically for doneness. when the farro is just almost al dente, add the edamame and cook for three minutes more. drain in a colander and allow to cool to room temperature.
combine the tomatoes, aged balsamic vinegar, and 1/3 cup olive oil in a bowl. season with salt and pepper to taste.
toss the farro, edamame, and tomato vinaigrette together in a large salad bowl. fold in the arugula. add additional oilve oil if needed to coat. taste again and adjust seasonings. serve immediately.
notes
* there are still plenty of heirloom tomatoes with personality here in san diego. if tomatoes have vanished from your city (i am so sorry), this dish would also work deliciously with citrus dressing or substituting 1/2 cup of caramelized onions for the tomatoes.