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servings
    10 ounces farro (about 1½ cups)
    2 teaspoons kosher salt
    ½ pound green beans, trimmed and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
    ½ cup pitted black olives
    1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and cut into thin strips (about 4 ounces or 1 cup)
    3 ounces Parmesan cheese, crumbled (about ¾ cup)
    ¼ cup snipped fresh chives
    ¼ cup sherry vinegar
    ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
    1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    In a medium saucepan, combine 4 cups of water with the farro. Bring to a boil over high heat, then cover and simmer over medium-low heat until the farro is almost tender, about 20 minutes. Add 1½ teaspoons of the salt and simmer until the farro is tender, about 10 minutes longer. Drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and let cool.
    Meanwhile, bring a medium pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans, stir, and cook for 2 minutes. Drain the green beans, then transfer to a bowl of ice water. Let the beans cool in the water for 2 minutes, then drain well.
    Once the farro has cooled, add the green beans, olives, bell pepper, Parmesan, and chives. Stir to combine.
    In a small bowl, mix together the sherry vinegar, olive oil, mustard, pepper, and the remaining ½ teaspoon salt. Stir to combine. Pour the sherry vinaigrette over the farro salad. Toss to combine, and serve.
     

    This is comfort food that’s good for you. Farro is an ancient grain that was used to make cereals and pasta before wheat was widely available. It is somewhat similar to Israeli couscous in texture, but if you can’t find it, any small pasta shape, such as orzo, makes a good substitute. Don’t overwork the pesto; it should still have distinct pieces of the individual herbs, which keeps the flavors clearer and more distinct.
    6 to 8 servings
    8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
    1 pound farro (about 2½ cups)
    2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
    ¼ cup fresh basil leaves
    2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
    2 garlic cloves
    ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil
    1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
    ¾ teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    Wedge of Pecorino Romano cheese, for garnish
    Bring the chicken broth to a boil in a large saucepan over high heat. Add the farro and stir to combine. Reduce the heat to low, cover the pan, and simmer the farro until tender, about 25 minutes. Drain the farro and set aside in a large bowl.
    Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the parsley, basil, thyme, and garlic. Pulse until the herbs are coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper. Pulse again until the herbs make a coarse mixture.
    Toss the warm farro with the coarse pesto. Transfer to a serving bowl. Using a vegetable peeler, make about ½ cup of cheese shavings from the Pecorino cheese wedge. Top the farro with the cheese shavings and serve.
     

    When I was a personal chef, a family for whom I worked often requested latkes, and though I hadn’t made them before, I totally fell in love with them. When I added Parmesan and basil to the mixture, they were even better. The Parmesan melts into a brittle web, like a
frico,
making these extra crisp and delicious.
    4 to 6 servings
    2 tablespoons olive oil, plus 1 to 2 tablespoons for frying
    1 medium onion, chopped
    1 garlic clove, minced
    1 teaspoon salt
    ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
    2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled
    1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
    ½ cup chopped fresh basil leaves
    Warm the 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook until tender and fragrant, about another 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the onion mixture to a large bowl and set aside.
    Meanwhile, grate the potatoes in a food processor using the grating blade. Dump the grated potatoes onto a clean kitchen towel, roll the towel up, and squeeze over the sink to extract as much water from the potatoes