Farro with Pickled Carrots, Kale and Shiitake Mushrooms

Spring cleaning is a bitch to do, but it’s always worth it in the end. You stand in front of your pantry and you can actually find stuff! I was applying the KonMari method of Marie Kondo to my kitchen cabinets when I found a small bag of farro. I set it aside to remind me to make use of it later in the week for a healthier dinner option. The carrots were a bit stale, found in the back of the vegetable bin, so I decided to quick-pickle them here. I used leek and scallions since I had leftovers, but feel free to use onions and some parsley for green coloring instead. If you want to impress, sous-vide your eggs at 146º for 45 minutes and crack them open on top of the salad before serving.

Ingredients:
a handful of baby carrots
1/2 cup white vinegar
1 tsp sugar
salt, pepper
olive oil
1 cup semi-pearled farro
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 leek, cleaned, chopped
1 scallion, chopped
a large handful of dried shiitake mushrooms, soaked, drained, chopped
1/2 bunch of kale, center ribs and stems removed, torn into smaller pieces
a jigger of fish sauce
2 large eggs, fried

1. Quick-pickle the carrots. In a small saucepan, bring vinegar, sugar, 1 tsp salt, and 1/2 cup water to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt. Pour over carrots in a bowl; let sit at least 30 minutes, or until ready to use. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup pickling liquid.
2. Cook farro. In a medium saucepan, heat olive over medium-high heat. Add farro and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until farro is dark brown, about 10 minutes. Add 6 cups water and bring to a boil. Boil farro until tender but still firm to the bite, about 25 minutes. Drain; let cool.
3. Heat some more oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sauté leek and scallions. Add mushrooms and kale and cook, tossing often, until mushrooms are soft and kale is wilted. Season with fish sauce and pepper. Add the pickled carrots and the farro. Pour in some of the pickling liquid to make sure it’s not dry. Serve and top with the eggs.

Recommendations:
The Marie Kondo book, The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing will change your life. I also highly recommend the Anova Sous Vide as one of those toys you don’t think you need.