Kinda vegan, kinda vegetarian: farro and leek salad

Ragazzi, this is one of those chameleon recipes that we all need.  Oh, bambini, it is truly and totally wonderful.  Very easy to make, using ingredients that you should use more often, and "versatile" in the true sense.  You can make this vegan, you can make this vegetarian, or you can bypass those labels and add animal proteins if you choose. And it is easy.  It really is.

You've seen articles, and read about farro, but you haven't tried it, have you?   Why not?  Seem intimidating to you? OK, Annalena is going to remove that intimidation right now:  here's how you cook it:  put the farro in a pot, cover it with water, at least 3 times the volume, and a teaspoon of salt.  Turn the heat on, bring it to a boil, and then lower it to a simmer,  and cook for about 20 minutes.  "About" is important here, because farro is like a vegetable: people like different degrees of doneness. So, after fifteen minutes, taste a grain or two, and keep it cooking until it's soft enough (or, firm enough), to your taste.  Drain it.

Now, while this 20 minute or so cook is going on, make your leeks.  Yes, leeks. Afraid of them, too? Ok, here's how you deal with them.  Get four large, or 8 small, leeks.  Cut them where the green part begins to get dark.  Toss that.  Make a long cut down each leek and check to see if it's dirty.  (The reason leeks are white is because they are banked in dirt, so it's possible.  At this time of year on the Northeast, the local ones don't need cleaning.  But they might.  ).  If they do, run them under water until the dirt is gone.  Then cut them into about half inch slices.  Some will fall apart, some won't. Worry not.  Put them on a baking sheet, and pour a quarter cup of olive oil over them.  Coat them, and then add  a teaspoon of salt.  Get them into a preheated, 425 oven, and roast for 20 minutes.  At ten minutes, stir them around.

So you've been cooking for twenty minutes, and you have your leeks and your farro.  But your hands have been free, right?  So, have you been working?  Well, this is what you should be doing:  get about 4 cups of cooked beans ready.  If you've been assiduous about cooking more beans than you need to when you cook beans, you should have them in your freezer, and  you can thaw them over very low heat.  If you did not do that, shame on you, and open up two cans of ORGANIC, light colored beans, or chickpeas.  The reason for the color choice, is because our other ingredients are l ight colored.  Kidney beans just aren't going to look right here.  Organic, because they don't overcook them.  Drain the beans, and wash them.    Put them in a bowl and, when the leeks are ready put them in with the beans.  Mix up the juice of a whole lemon, or more if you like acid, with half a cup of olive oil (and that's a cut back from teh original recipe), about half a teaspoon of black pepper, red pepper depending on how hot you like things, and another pinch of salt.  Pour all of this over the leeks and beans, and when the farro is ready, drain it, and add it, warm, so it will absorb some of the flavor.

Now, and don't leave this out, add a hefty half cup of currants.  NOT raisins, not sliced apricots, currants. Buy some.  Stir everything together.

This is all you need to do, and you have a lot of food.  But trust Annalena on this: notwithstanding all the oil, without "something else," this is not very satisfying.  Annalena adds crumbled feta cheese she buys from Karen the sheep goddess.  Find a nice sharp one.  Or put in shrimp.  Or diced chicken.    Or SOMETHING, and you have a meal.  Otherwise, put it next to a substantial entree, and you have a good side dish, with leftovers for stuffing a vegetable  - even cabbage.

Try it ragazzi.  We are all looking for new tastes.  And thanks to Annalena and the NY Times, you have one.