Warm salad of farro, roasted vegetables and chestnuts

Farro is such a beautiful wheat grain, bursting with fibre, protein and other good things, as well as being chewy and delicious. If you can’t find it, substitute it with spelt, although it’s much softer. This is a glorious autumnal or winter dish, and one that I often adapt according to what I have by way of vegetables.

Keep the beetroot in, as its colour is lovely against the grains and adds earthy sweetness. I haven’t included them in the recipe below, but the Confit shallots with herbs and garlic (page 153) are absolutely wonderful tossed into the mix as well.

Serves 4–6 as a side.

• 150 g (5½ oz) celeriac
• 150 g (5½ oz) carrots
• 200 g (7 oz) raw beetroot
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 teaspoon sumac
• leaves from 1 lemon thyme or thyme sprig
• ½ teaspoon sea salt flakes, plus extra for seasoning
• freshly ground black pepper
• 50 g (1¾ oz) vacuum-packed chestnuts
• 140 g (5 oz) pearled farro
• 2 tablespoons mixed seeds, such as pepitas (pumpkin seeds) and sunflower seeds
• 1 handful flat-leaf parsley leaves, roughly chopped
• extra virgin olive oil, for drizzling

For the dressing

• 2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons walnut oil
• 1 tablespoon honey

1. First, get your vegetables on the go. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F). Peel the celeriac, carrots and beetroot, and cut them into 3 cm (1¼ inch) chunks. Pop the vegetables into a large roasting tin in a single layer.
2. Whisk together 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the honey, sumac and thyme, season with sea salt and black pepper, and pour over the vegetables. Toss to coat.
3. Roast for 30 minutes, then add the chestnuts, shaking to coat them in the oil. Roast for 15 minutes more or until everything is softened and golden.
4. While the vegetables are roasting, put the farro, the ½ teaspoon sea salt and the remaining 1 tablespoon oil in a saucepan.
5. Pour in 700 ml (24 fl oz) water and simmer for 20–25 minutes or until the grains are tender – bear in mind that farro retains some bite and chewiness when cooked. If the water is absorbed before the grains are done, add a little boiling water; if there is excess liquid when cooked, drain this off.
6. While the grains are cooking, make the dressing – just put all the ingredients in a screw-top jar and shake well.
7. As soon as the farro is ready, add half the dressing and toss – do this while the grains are still hot so they absorb the flavours. Set aside to keep warm.
8. Transfer the cooked vegetables to a serving platter or bowl. Add the farro, seeds and most of the parsley. Gently toss with enough of the remaining dressing to generously coat. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary – the farro might need quite a bit of salt.
9. Serve warm or at room temperature, scattered with the remaining parsley and drizzled with extra virgin olive oil.

Baked eggs with greens, avocado and yoghurt

Serves 2–4

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 250 g (9 oz) mixed greens such as kale, spring greens, wild garlic, savoy cabbage, beetroot greens, turnip tops and parsley, thinly sliced
• sea salt flakes
• freshly ground black pepper
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 60–125 ml (2–4 fl oz/¼–½ cup) chicken or vegetable stock
• a pinch of Aleppo pepper or
• chilli flakes
• 4 eggs
• 1 avocado, sliced
• 3 tablespoons Greek-style yoghurt
• smoked paprika, for sprinkling

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F).
2. Warm the olive oil in an ovenproof frying pan over medium–high heat and add the mixed greens, handful by handful, stirring and allowing them to wilt as you go. It might seem like you have too many greens but don’t worry, they will cook down.
3. Season with sea salt and black pepper, then stir-fry for a couple of minutes until all the greens have softened slightly.
4. Add the garlic and a splash of the stock, then continue to stir-fry for a couple more minutes until the leaves are tender.
5. Add as much stock as you need to prevent the greens drying out and sticking to the pan, but you don’t want any liquid left when the greens are cooked.
6. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the Aleppo pepper or chilli flakes.
7. Make four indentations in the greens and crack an egg into each one, then arrange the avocado slices around the eggs.
8. Stir the yoghurt well to loosen it, then spoon it in blobs over the greens and sprinkle with paprika.
9. Bake for about 10 minutes or until the egg whites are just set and the yolks are still runny. Serve immediately, accompanied by some good bread, if you like.