I have been tweaking this recipe for 3 summers now and suspect I will continue to as long as summer squash grows. Originally riffed off of a Canal House Cooking recipe, riffed off of a Gabrielle Hamilton recipe, Boat Sauce subs in for Moroccan harissa. You can go in various directions with this recipe, and even use roasted or grilled zucchini. The key is to let the perfectly cooked squash and farro soak up all of the dressing while still warm, then add the rest of the ingredients when it hits room temperature.
Serves 4-6
Base Ingredients
1 ½ lb zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced (crosswise for large pieces)
Salt / pepper
1 1/2cup cooked farro
4 oz crumbled feta, ricotta salata, or other salty crumbly cheese.
Handful or two of torn fresh basil, parsley and/or oregano
Boat Sauce Dressing
¼ cup Bobbie’s Boat Sauce
2 T very good olive oil, plus more for finishing
¼ tsp caraway or fennel seeds
2 T very finely chopped preserved lemon (roughly ½ of a whole preserved lemon)
Optional/Add-Ins
Optional Add-Ins : toasted pine nuts or walnuts, oil cured olives,
Method
Toast caraway seeds in a small pan until fragrant, then grind with a mortar and pestle. Set aside.
Bring a pot of heavily salted water to a boil (3 Tb for 2 Qt) and cook zucchini 4-5 minutes, slightly longer than you might feel comfortable doing. Alternatively, roast zucchini that has been seasoned and resting with salt in a high temp oven.
While the squash is cooking, whisk Boat Sauce with Olive Oil in a small bowl. Incorporate preserved lemon and caraway
Drain zucchini thoroughly, empty into a mixing bowl and add Boat Sauce dressing. Add cooked farro, then cover and let chill in fridge for about 30 min, until room temp.
Once the salad base is room temp, add the rest of the ingredients and adjust components to taste. Finish with additional olive oil. Serve at room temperature.
