Vegetarian Gyro Salad

I turned to a grain as one of the main components of the dinner salad we had tonight.  I have been wanting to try some of the ancient grains like farro and wheat berries and tonight we had the farro.  I really liked the texture of the farro in the salad.  This salad definitely had a Greek streak to it which I thought was wonderful.  I love all the ingredients in this salad individually and when blended together with the red wine vinaigrette it was perfectly flavored.

Vegetarian Gyro Salad
Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 cups semi-pearled farro
1 zucchini, halved
4 pitas or flatbread (7-inch)
2 lemons, halved
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup peeled, seeded, and diced cucumber
1/2 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup sliced pepperoncini
1/3 cup pitted, halved kalamata olives
1/4 cup diced red onion

Red Wine Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Prepare the vinaigrette:
Whisk together the olive oil, red wine vinegar, garlic and Dijon mustard or place all ingredients in a tightly sealed jar and shake well.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

For the Salad:
Preheat the grill to medium-high.  Brush grill grate with oil.

Prepare farro according to package directions, then rinse.

Brush zucchini and pitas with the red wine vinaigrette.  Grill zucchini, covered, until tender, 5 minutes, pitas until toasted, and lemons until browned.  Slice zucchini halves into 1/4-inch-thick slices.

Combine tomatoes, cucumber, bell pepper, dill, feta, pepperoncini, olives and onion in a large bowl with farro, zucchini, and remaining vinaigrette; toss to coat.  Cut pita into wedges and add to salad.  Serve salad with lemon halves.


Recipe from Cuisine at Home

My rating: