Salad of Asparagus Ribbons with Farro Perlato

Serves 4-6

For all ingredients, please consider using those that are grown organically.

Rinse and drain the farro.

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium size sauce pan. Add the farro, about a teaspoon of salt, reduce the heat to a simmer, and cover the pan with a lid.

Cook the farro for 25-30 minutes. When the grains are finished cooking, they will be firm and chewy in texture, but soft enough that they are not crunchy.

Strain the grains of any remaining water and transfer to a bowl. Drizzle about a teaspoon of olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice over the grains and toss with a spoon to combine the flavors. Season with sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. At this point, the farro is delicious on it's own or ready to add to any sort of salad. Set aside and allow to cool completely.

Warm a teaspoon or two of olive oil in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the sliced shallots to the pan, sprinkle with a pinch of salt, and cook for 3-5 minutes. They should begin to caramelize and frizzle. The shallot would also be a lovely addition to this salad raw and does not need to be sauteed if you prefer to skip this step.

Lay a washed asparagus spear horizontally on a cutting board or work surface. Hold the bottom of the spear with one hand and use your other to begin creating the ribbons moving an inch or two from the base of the spear all the way through the tip. When the spear becomes too thin to create more ribbons, turn it 90 degrees and shave thin ribbons with what remains. If this is too much of a challenge, reserve the scraps and chop them up to add to the salad at the end. Repeat with the remaining asparagus and transfer the ribbons to a large bowl.

Zest the lemon over the prepared asparagus ribbons. Add the cooled farro, shallots, juice of one lemon, about 1 teaspoon of olive oil, sea salt and freshly ground black pepper. Use your hands to gently toss the salad together. Season accordingly with more lemon juice, zest, oil, salt, or pepper. The flavor should be lemony and bright.

Serve the salad in the bowl or transfer to a platter and sprinkle with the toasted almonds. It will be best served immediately while the ribbons of asparagus are still crisp.