I Tried Ina Garten's "Favorite Side Dish Ever," and Her Cooking Trick Is Genius

It’s not a guarantee, as Ina and I have differing opinions about cilantro and whether carrot cake should have raisins (or not), but it’s almost always a safe bet that if Ina gives something a stamp of approval, I’ll adore it, too. If you peek in my pantry, I’ve stocked up on nearly all of the “store-bought is fine” staples she recommends, and I wholeheartedly agree with her philosophy about the best host gift.

So when Ina took to Instagram recently and declared, “Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad is my favorite side dish ever,” I knew I had to toss it together to taste for myself. “It’s earthy and sweet from the farro cooked in apple cider, citrus-y from the fresh lemon vinaigrette, peppery from the arugula, salty and crunchy from the pistachios—so good,” Ina writes in the caption. 

It sounds like it, so let’s give it a try together.

How to Make Charlie Bird’s Farro Salad

You might be wondering, “who is Charlie Bird?” It’s actually a place. Charlie Bird is a restaurant in New York City, where a riff on chef Ryan Hardy’s original farro salad is still on the menu. (The current rendition features the whole grain, of course, plus roasted pumpkin, honeynut squash, pistachio and Parmigiano cheese.)

As for Ina’s take, the recipe appeared in the 2018 book Cook Like a Pro, as well as a 2019 episode of Barefoot Contessa, and again on Be My Guest, when Ann Patchett joined Ina in her East Hampton, New York kitchen. Ina’s normally not one to play favorites, but I’ve rarely seen her celebrate a single dish this much. 

Here’s how to DIY:

Cook the farro. To a saucepan, add pearled farro, fresh apple cider, bay leaves, kosher salt, and water. Bring this to a boil, then drop the temperature and allow it to simmer for 30 minutes or so, or until the farro is tender. Drain the farro and discard the bay leaves.

Make the dressing. As the farro bubbles away, in a measuring cup or mason jar, add olive oil, fresh lemon juice, salt, and black pepper. Stir or shake to combine. 

Marinate the farro. In a bowl, toss the cooked farro with the salad dressing, and allow this to hang out for 15 minutes to infuse it with flavor and let the grains cool slightly.

Assemble the salad. After that marination session, stir in chopped pistachios, chopped fresh parsley and mint, halved grape tomatoes, sliced radishes, and baby arugula. Gently fold in shaved Parmesan cheese (so it doesn’t crumble apart too much), then finish with flaky sea salt and dive in.

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