Farro and Roasted Vegetable Salad with Tahini Dressing

This warm salad is great alongside any cooked meats, or as a meal in itself, perhaps with a soft-boiled egg added. ​Substitute whatever vegetables you have on hand. Cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant  fennel, pretty much anything works here, it's an endlessly variable template. In this iteration, I had some leftover steamed green beans that I also added. ​The point of this recipe is slowly roasting the vegetables, as this allows for more caramelisation to develop, intensifying the flavour. Doused in this addictive tahini dressing, it really highlights how complex and delicious vegetables can be, when treated with care.

Serves 4

Ingredients
1 1/3 cups of faro, rinsed and drained
2 large potatoes, skin on
1 red capsicum
1-2 red onions, peeled
2 zucchini
olive oil
sea salt flakes
large handful of steamed green beans, topped and tailed (optional)
1/4 cup (100g)  hulled tahini
1/4 cup (100g) Greek yoghurt 
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 garlic clove
1 t sea salt flakes, extra
fresh lemon juice, to taste
​water


Method
Preheat oven to 180°C. Chop vegetables into roughly 4cm sized pieces. Arrange on a baking tray, toss in some olive oil and a pinch of sea salt and roast for about an hour or until everything is soft and very well caramelised.

Meanwhile, cook farro in boiling water until al dente (about 20-30min). Drain.

Make the dressing by combining the tahini, yoghurt and oil in a small bowl. Crush the garlic by peeling, roughly chopping, sprinkling with the salt and then 'wiping' with the flat of your knife, pressing down as you go until you have a coarse paste. Add this and the lemon juice to the tahini, yoghurt and oil. Add enough water to make the sauce pourable, but still viscous. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary. 

Combine the faro, vegetables, and dressing, tossing gently to coat everything well. Serve as a side or as a meal on its own with some extra protein added. 


Note: This tahini sauce is also great as a dip, or with any roasted or grilled meat or fish. If you want to use it as a dip or sauce rather than a dressing, only add enough water to make everything smooth, but still nice and thick.