From the menu of - Empire State South

A. Chef Ryan Smith shared his recipe with a note that you can make it as seasonal as you wish. He wrote that farro is always available but the garnishes can be any preserved fruit and seasonal herbs can be substituted for the arugula in the pesto. His idea in creating the dish originally was to highlight what he was receiving from local farmers. Just like its components, the dish is only seasonally available at Empire State South.

Farro is a form of wheat and available at stores that stock specialty grains like the DeKalb Farmers Market. Its plump grains look a great deal like barley. Blanching the arugula for the pesto helps the pesto retain a bright green color.

Is there a recipe from a metro Atlanta restaurant you’d like to make at home? Tell us and we’ll try to get it. We’ll also test it and adapt it for the home kitchen. Because of volume, we can’t answer all inquiries. Send your request, your address and phone number to fromthemenu@gmail.com and put “From the menu of” and the name of the restaurant in the subject line.

Ryan Smith’s Farro Salad

Hands on: 20 minutes

Total time: 45 minutes

Serves: 10

1 gallon water

4 cups farro

2 stalks celery, cut in half

1 onion, cut in half

1 carrot, cut in half

2 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon salt, divided

3 bay leaves

8 ounces arugula, divided

1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts

1/4 cup olive oil

1/4 cup low-fat yogurt

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Salt and pepper

Preserved sliced peaches or other fruit, thinly sliced radishes for garnish

In a large saucepan, combine water, farro, celery, onion, carrot, 2 tablespoons salt and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cook until farro is tender, about 20 minutes. When done, drain farro and cool. Discard vegetables and bay leaves. May be made and refrigerated up to 1 day ahead.

Set aside 2 cups arugula leaves. In a large saucepan, make arugula pesto by adding enough water to cover arugula leaves. Bring to a boil and quickly blanch remaining arugula. Remove arugula after 30 seconds and squeeze out water. In jar of blender, combine blanched arugula, peanuts, olive oil and remaining teaspoon salt. Blend until smooth and taste for seasoning. May be made ahead and refrigerated up to 4 hours in advance.

When ready to serve, mix farro, yogurt and lemon juice. Toss until farro is well coated; season to taste. Add reserved arugula leaves and toss.

Divide arugula puree between serving plates. Pile farro salad on top and garnish with sliced peaches or other preserved fruit and radishes if desired. Serve immediately.

Per serving: 342 calories (percent of calories from fat, 26), 8 grams protein, 55 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams fiber, 10 grams fat (1 gram saturated), trace cholesterol, 1,360 milligrams sodium.