Carrot and Farro Salad with Apricot Dressing
Carrots have a unique sweetness to them, but especially in the wintertime. The dried apricot dressing pairs very well with the sweetness of the carrots, earthy farro, the crunch of red onion, and bitter parsley.
This is for the Immersion Blender only
Ingredients
- 680 g (1½ pounds) carrots, cut into evenly-sized chunks
- 30 ml (2 Tablespoons) extra virgin olive oil, optional
- (½ teaspoon) kosher salt, optional
- 80 ml (⅓ cup) white balsamic vinegar
- (1 Tablespoon) Dijon mustard
- 240 ml (1 cup) water
- 100 g (½ cup) dried apricots
- (½ teaspoon) red pepper flakes
- (¼ teaspoon) kosher salt, optional
- 310 g (2 cups) cooked farro
- 105 g (1 cup) red onion, thinly sliced
- 10 g (½ cup) fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
- 226 g (8 ounce) ricotta salata
- (¼ teaspoon) ground black pepper
- 60 ml (¼ cup) extra virgin olive oil
- 120 ml (½ cup) warm water
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Toss the carrots with olive oil and salt. Place onto non-stick sheet tray and place into preheated oven. Roast for 25-35 minutes or until tender. Remove from the oven and cool.
- For the dressing, place the vinegar, Dijon, water, dried apricots, chili flakes and salt into the Vitamix Immersion Blend Jar or similar container. Submerge the immersion blender below the surface of the liquid, or as close to the ingredients as possible. Start the blender on its lowest speed, then quickly increase to its highest speed. Blend while moving the immersion blender around for approximately 45-60 seconds.
- Place the carrots, onion, farro and parsley into a medium size bowl. Toss with 3/4 cup (120ml) of the apricot dressing.
- To make the whipped ricotta, mix the water and the oil together in a small measuring cup. Set aside. Place the ricotta and pepper into the Food Processor Work Bowl fitted with the Multi-Use Blade.
- Secure the lid and start the machine. Allow machine to run for 10 seconds, and then slowly start drizzling olive oil into the emulsification hole on the lid of the processor. Allow to run for an additional 1-2 minutes until ricotta is light and fluffy.
Chef's Notes
We paired this with whipped feta for a more composed dish, but the carrot salad can be made and eaten all by itself. For extra flavor, throw a little cumin seed in while cooking your farro. The dressing doubles as a great marinade for vegetables or chicken. Roasting some chicken with it gives it almost a BBQ flavor.