This Hearty Salad Is the Perfect Transition Meal Between Winter and Spring

Now thatMarchis here,springis only a few weeks away—and for FW Cooks'Ann Taylor Pittman, that means swapping heavier winter food with something light and fresh. So she turns to her “Restoration Salad,” a combination of whole-grain farro, oranges, raisins, brussels sprouts, toasted walnuts, and blue cheese, served with a zesty (literally) white balsamic dressing. It’s hearty enough to stand up to any remaining chilly weather, but is still refreshing too, thanks to bright flavor from the oranges. The best part? You can easily make it ahead.

Check out key tips for preparing the dish below, compiled from Pittman’s recipe and our test kitchen.

You might be tempted to use pearled farro here, since it cooks quicker than whole-grainfarro; however, the latter is more nutritious and is also much harder to overcook, so you won’t end up with a sad, mushy texture.

When you’re ready to cook the farro, simply take half of a yellow onion and poke cloves into the cut side. Then, combine it in a large saucepan with water, the farro, and a bay leaf. Once the farro’s done cooking, you don’t have to worry about fishing out the cloves—simply discard the onion half along with the bay leaf.

Pittman uses orange zest, juice,andsegments in this recipe—even the leftover membranes, too, to extract more juice. It's a good exercise for thinking about how you canreduce food wastewhen you work with ingredients.

Instead of letting the raisins soak overnight, you can rehydrate them with orange juice in the microwave in just one minute. This adds flavor and plumps them up nicely.

In the final step of Pittman’s recipe, all you need to mix the salad dressing is a small jar. Simply put in all the ingredients and shake until emulsified. (Just make sure it’s sealed first, of course.)

Blue cheese adds a nice pungent flavor to this沙拉. If you’re not a fan, don’t worry—you can easily substitute in your preferred cheese. Our associate food editor Kelsey Youngman says Parmesan would work nicely.

The great thing about this salad is that you don’t have to worry about anything getting mushy or wilting, so it will stay good for several days. The only thing Pittman recommends storing separately is the walnuts, in order to retain maximum crunch.

Get the Recipe:Restoration Salad with Farro, Orange, and Blue Cheese