This farro, kale, and feta salad is easy to make, tastes great, and stores beautifully in OXO’s 8 Piece SNAP Glass Round Container Set.
I have always had a thing for food storage containers. When I was in elementary school, I would beg to be allowed to pack peanuts or raisins for my lunch in one of my mom’s two tiny Tupperware containers (when I was still an infant, she had been invited to a Tupperware party by a neighbor, and though she wasn’t particularly interested in plastic food storage containers, had picked out the smallest item in the catalog so as not to be rude).
In middle school, I cajoled my parents into buying me a set of matching plastic containers, so that I could tote my lunchtime yogurt and granola in style. And I still remember how delighted I felt my senior year of college, when my roommates and I went in on the large assortment of food storage tubs and bowls at the local Kmart. Looking back on this, it’s really no wonder I’ve made a career out of putting food in containers.
About a year ago, I became a little bit obsessed with this new wave of glass food storage containers with snap-on lids. Every time Scott and I went to Costco, I’d pause in front of the display of Pyrex Snapware for so long that he’d sigh and make a move to put a box in our cart. I’d snap out of my trance and tell him to put it back. Between the set of containers we’d gotten for our wedding and my VAST collection of jars, we simply did not need it.
So, when I got an email from the folks at OXO, asking if I might like to participate in a blogger promotion centered on their new 8 Piece SNAP Glass Round Container Set, my resolve crumbled and I said yes. I was finally going to get a chance to work with food storage containers with snap-on lids.
I’ve now had this set of containers in my kitchen for a couple weeks and they’ve become my preferred vessels (so much so that I’ve taken to hand-washing them between uses rather than wait to run them through the dishwasher).
The containers themselves are made of sturdy, shock-resistant borosilicate glass, so they can go straight from the fridge or freezer and into the oven or microwave. The lids have a thick, leakproof gasket (it comes out for cleaning) that, once locked into place, prevents even a drop of moisture from leaking out of the container.
This means that when you pack soup or a dressed salad into one and tuck it sideways into your work bag or backpack, you can be secure in the knowledge that it won’t leak all over your computer. This feature is also fabulous if you find yourself occasionally needing to set container on its edge in order to get it to fit into your fridge (this happens in my kitchen more than I’d like to admit).
These containers are the perfect thing for the picnics and potlucks so many of us plan during these warmer months. Lately, my go-to dish for such events is a room temperature salad made of farro, lightly cooked kale, feta cheese, and golden raisins. I use a technique that I learned from my Deena many years ago, in which you cook the farro and the kale in the same pot, adding the kale no more than two minutes before the grain is finished.
You end up with both components cooked perfectly and only one pot to clean. I mix the rest of the salad in the cooking pot as well (wait to add the cheese until it’s cooled a bit), and then transfer it to the OXO container when it’s time to store or transport. I like to serve it over a bed of baby arugula, though considering the amount of kale you tuck into it, is entirely optional.
Disclosure: OXO sent me their 8 Piece SNAP Glass Round Container Set, 2-in-1 Salad Servers, and Little Salad Dressing Shaker to try and write about. No additional compensation was provided. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.
Farro, Kale, and Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups uncooked pearled farro
- 4-5 cups washed stemmed, and chopped kale (1 big bundle should do it)
- 1/4 cup golden raisins
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Using a pot that holds at least 5 quarts, bring 12 cups of water to a boil. Once it is rolling vigorously, salt the water generously and add the farro.
- Cook the farro for 10-12 minutes, until it is nearly tender. Add the chopped kale to the pot and put it down into the water with a wooden spoon. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the farro is tender and the kale is bright green. Drain well, rinse briefly with cool water, and then drain again.
- Return the cooked farro and kale to the pot and add the raisins, olive oil, and red wine vinegar. Stir to combine.
- Once the salad is at room temperature, stir in the feta. Taste, add salt and pepper as needed, and taste again.
- Serve either at room temperature or chilled.
The weak points of these containers are the lids. We purchased a bunch of similar Anchor-Hocking containers, and a number of the plastic lids have developed splits or cracks. Replacement lids are available, but are priced rather high. In fact some of the prices of these lids are downright exorbitant. Nonetheless, I do love the containers and will probably search out the best deal for replacement lids, and, teeth gritted, place an order.
I must say that I have generally found OXO products to be of really good quality.
Though I’ve only had them a short time, the lids feel incredibly sturdy and durable. I feel like it would take a lot for them to crack or split.
I got similar Glasslock containers at The Container Store – one of the seals broke when I tried to get it out for cleaning – I was able to get replacement lids (no questions asked) from the manufacturer and ony had to pay shipping. I have all sizes of square & rectangle ones to maximize usage of space – the round ones just waste too much space. I hope your OXO containers work as well for you – like you I reach for them all the time (and need to buy more).
That salad looks interesting – I’ve never had farro and have just learned to like kale so maybe I’ll give it a try!
Glass with leak proof lids? I soooo need these in my life! I’m over the Rubbermaid® snap lid containers that melt in the dishwasher and hold water in all the grooves. I also like the fact that they are round and can fit into my lunch bag for work. Thanks for the informative post! I’ve also never had farro so I’m anxious to try out your recipe.
That arugula is gorgeous!