ediblegardensla:

In chefs Suzanne Goin and David Lentz’s garden, we are growing peas, carrots, fennel, asparagus and lots of mint, thyme, parsley and garlic in the herb garden.  Both Meyer and Eureka lemon trees can be found in the citrus grove.  Suzanne is making a farro and spring vegetable salad with crumbled feta and meyer lemon.  Delicious!  Recipe below;

farro and spring vegetable salad with crumbled feta and meyer lemon

6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
½ cup diced onion
1 tablespoon thyme leaves
2 cups farro
½ cup English peas
1 bunch baby carrots, ideally mixed colors
1 small head fennel
½ cup sugar snap peas, sliced the diagonal into 1/4-inch
           thick pieces
 ¼ cup chopped mint
¼ cup diced meyer lemon
approximately 1 cup parsley-mint dressing (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons lemon juice plus 1 lemon for juicing
1 bunch asparagus, sliced on diagonal into 2” long pieces
2 to 3 ounces tender pea shoots
¼ pound french feta, crumbled
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Heat a large saucepan over medium heat for 1 minute. Swirl in 2 tablespoons olive oil, the diced onion, and thyme. Cook, stirring often, 3 to 4 minutes, until the onion is translucent. Add the farro, stirring to coat it with the oil and toast it slightly. Add 10 cups of water and 2 teaspoons kosher salt and bring to a boil. Turn the heat to low, and simmer about 30 minutes, until the farro is tender and just cooked through. Strain the farro and transfer it to a baking sheet to cool.
Blanch peas in salted boiling water about 1 minute, until just tender. Shock in ice water, drain and dry on paper towels.
Peel the baby carrots leaving ½ of stem on. Slice in half lengthwise and wash in cold water.
Trim the root end of the fennel, cut the stalks off where they meet the bulb, and peel off any outer layers that are brown or bruised. Cut the bulb in half lengthwise, leaving the core intact. Place the halves, cut side down, on a cutting board, and slice the fennel thinly lengthwise.
In a large bowl, combine the farro, sugar snaps, peas, chopped mint, and chopped meyer lemon. Pour about 1 cup parsley dressing over the salad, and season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine, adding vinaigrette, lemon juice, salt, and pepper to taste if needed.
Place the fennel, carrots, and asparagus in a large bowl and season with 2 tablespoons lemon juice, ¼ cup olive oil salt, and pepper. Toss in the pea shoots.
Spoon the farro onto 6 dinner plates, arrange the dressed vegetables on top, and crumble over the feta.
parsley dressing
2 bunches parsley
1 cup mint leaves
1 clove garlic
¼ cup lemon juice
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Place the parsley, mint, garlic, lemon juice, 1 teaspoon salt, and half the oil in the blender. Turn on low speed, and then quickly turn up to high, and pour in the rest of the oil. Taste for balance and seasoning.

Photograph by Helene Dujardin