Summer Fruits & Grain Salad
This salad was the result of happy experimentation in my kitchen last night. The nasturtium flowers I picked up at the farmers’ market over the weekend were sadly wilting–you should use them immediately while they’re still beautifully open, but for some reason I always forget that edible flowers don’t last that long. But they were still so bright and cheerful, so I decided to create a summertime salad for one, balancing their peppery taste with sweet cantaloupe and blueberries, chewy farro, and a little blueberry habanero dressing I whipped together. It turned out perfectly pretty, not to mention delicious and packed with good-for-you ingredients. Read on for the recipe.
Summer Fruits & Grain Salad with Blueberry Habanero Dressing
Salad
2-3 handfuls of arugula
Half a cup of cooked farro
A handful of blueberries
A handful of cut cantaloupe
Nasturtium flowers
A sprinkle of sunflower seeds
Maldon sea salt
Dressing
1/3 cup blueberries
1/4 a habanero pepper
2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
1/2 shallot, minced
Pinch of sugar
Salt and pepper
1/3 cup of oil (I used half hazelnut oil and half extra-virgin olive oil)
1-2 tablespoons of water
To make the dressing, place all ingredients except the water in a mini food processor. Blend until smooth, then add the water and blend again to thin out the dressing to your preference (less water yields a thicker dressing). Place the arugula in a shallow bowl, then top with farro, cantaloupe, blueberries, nasturtiums and sunflower seeds. Sprinkle with sea salt flakes and drizzle with dressing.