Straight and Farro
A lighter grain salad
When Stewart and Heidi Woodman opened Birdhouse in Minneapolis, they put sustainable grains and vegetables at the menu’s forefront. For the restaurant’s hearty farro salad, executive chef Ben Mauk employs a trio of green--peas, leeks and pistachios--to leaven the nutty grain. The result is a robust dish laced with flavor, ideal for a summer picnic. At the restaurant, Mauk offers a roast leg of lamb as an addition to the salad, turning it into a full-blown dinner. At Birdhouse, grains reign, but there’s no bird food in sight.
Farro Salad with Peas, Leeks and Pistachios
Yield: Serves 4 to 6
Cook Time:
35 minutes
- INGREDIENTS
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 cup farro
2 cups water
2 teaspoons salt, plus more to taste
½ cup toasted pistachios
1 leek, white and light green part only, thinly sliced
2 medium shallots, finely chopped
¼ cup sheep?s-milk skyr or plain Greek-style yogurt
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound fresh or frozen peas, blanched
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped tarragon leaves
About The Chef
Before becoming the executive chef at Stewart and Heidi Woodman’s newly opened Birdhouse in Minneapolis, Ben Mauk was chef-owner of the now-closed Twist Restaurant in New York’s Hudson Valley and the executive chef for Bon Appetit Management Company at Stanford University.
Birdhouse on Hennepin, 2516 Hennepin Ave. S., Minneapolis, MN; 612-377-2213 or birdhousempls.com
Get Tasting Table Chefs’ Recipes Edition for exclusive recipes each week from top chefs and hot restaurants—adapted for you to cook at home.



