Hugh Acheson's Tomato Salad with Crisped Farro, Purslane, Arugula, and Roasted Tomato-Miso Vinaigrette

TOMATO SALAD with CRISPED FARRO, PURSLANE, ARUGULA, and ROASTED TOMATO–MISO VINAIGRETTE

Hugh Acheson | THE BROAD FORK

Great tomatoes sprinkled with kosher salt are enough to make me giddy, but when you add an awesome vinaigrette, some wonderfully fresh greens, and the crisp texture of fried farro, then I am over the moon. This is summer. Bring on the front-porch dinners.

Serves 4

Kosher salt

½ cup farro

2 cups peanut oil

2 pounds heirloom tomatoes, cored, halved, and sliced into half-moons

1/3 cup Roasted Tomato–Miso Vinaigrette (recipe follows)

2 cups fresh purslane

2 cups arugula leaves

Freshly ground black pepper

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a saucepan, and add ½ teaspoon kosher salt and the farro. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook the farro until it is tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Strain the farro. Spread it out on a large platter lined with paper towels to steam off and drain off as much of the water as possible.

In a large saucepan, heat the peanut oil to 350°F. Add the farro, in batches, and fry until crisp, 1 to 11/2 minutes. You want the grains to be crisp but not like little rocks.

Remove from the oil and drain on the platter, lined with fresh paper towels. Season with kosher salt to taste.

Arrange the sliced tomatoes on a large platter and season them with kosher salt. Drizzle half of the vinaigrette over the tomatoes. In a large bowl, combine the purslane and the arugula. Dress the greens with the remaining vinaigrette and toss well. Place the greens in the center of the platter. Garnish with the crisp farro and season with freshly ground black pepper to taste. Eat, and eat well.

ROASTED TOMATO–MISO VINAIGRETTE

Makes about 1½ cups

1 large heirloom tomato

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves

1 tablespoon white miso paste

1 teaspoon Japanese soy sauce

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

1⁄3 cup olive oil

Preheat the oven to 400°F.

Core the tomato and cut it into thick rounds. Season the tomato slices with the kosher salt and arrange them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Place in the oven

and roast for 30 minutes, until the tomato slices are concentrated and very soft.

Remove the tomatoes from the oven and let them cool to room temperature. When they have cooled, place them in a blender and add the thyme, miso, soy sauce, and vinegar. Puree until smooth, and then, with the motor still running, slowly drizzle in the olive oil. The dressing will keep for a week in a jar in the fridge.

Recipes reprinted from The Broad Fork: Recipes for the Wide World of Vegetables and Fruits. Copyright ©2015 by Hugh Acheson. Photographs by Rinne Allen. Published by Clarkson Potter/Publishers, an imprint of Penguin Random House LLC.