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+ servings

Il Forno's Green Bean Salad

This green bean salad packs a punch full of fresh flavors! Charred green beans offer a contrasting taste against the tart marinated red onion and balsamic vinaigrette dressing and salty shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano.
Course Appetizers, Salads, Sides
Servings 4 servings

Ingredients
  

  • 5 Tbps extra virgin olive oil divided
  • 1/4 cup dried farro
  • 1 lb fresh green beans stem ends trimmed
  • 3/4 tps salt divided
  • 3/4 tps freshly ground black pepper divided
  • 1/2 tps Garlic Powder
  • 3/4 cup Red Wine Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup water
  • 4 Tbps Simple Syrup see notes
  • 1 medium red onion sliced very thin and rinsed
  • 1/4 Parmigiano-Reggiano or pecorino cheese shaved into flakes

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 400 degrees. Remove loose outer skins from the garlic bulb and slice top off the top 1/4 inch so tops of individual cloves are exposed. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of olive oil over the cut surface and wrap bulb in foil. Bake for 40 minutes and remove from over. Pull off 4 medium-size cloves, squeeze out of skins and mash on a cutting board with the side of a knife. Reserve remaining roasted garlic for another use.
  • Meanwhile, rinse dried farro and add to a small saucepan with 1/2 cup water. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer until just tender and water is absorbed, 25-30 minutes. If the heat is too high and your water boils off early add additional water 1/4 cup at a time as needed. Remove from heat and reserve.
  • Switch oven to broiler and place rack in top position. Toss green beans with 2 teaspoons olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and garlic powder. Spread beans out on a broiler-safe pan and cook until beans start to char and blister, about 3 minutes. Turn beans and roast an additional 2-3 minutes until tender. Remove from broiler and reserve.
  • Combining remaining salt and pepper with mashed roasted garlic, red wine vinegar, water, mustard, and simple syrup to make a marinade and pour the liquid into a flat-bottomed dish. Add onions and cooked farro to the marinade, being careful to keep them separate. Divide roasted green beans into 4 plates. Top each pile of beans with 1/4 of the marinated farro. Top that with a tangle of the sliced red onions. Sprinkle cheese over the salad and finish each serving with a tablespoon of the remaining olive oil drizzled on top.

Notes

Note: Sugar simple syrup is made by combining equal parts of sugar and water and heated until the sugar dissolves.
Courtesy of Chef Jason Garcia of Il Forno.
Keyword green bean, recipe, salads, San Antonio, summer
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