Italian Harvest Salad

1. Combine maple syrup, 1 tablespoon water and a pinch of sea salt. Wisk together, toss in pecans. Place on baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Turn on oven to 400°F. Toss butternut squash, rosemary, a pinch of salt and pepper with a light coating of olive oil. Bake for about 25 minutes, stirring a couple times. Remove when browning.

3. Drain and rinse farro. Boil 1 ½ cups vegetable broth and1 ½ cups water. Cooking time will depend on the type of Farro you have. If you use emmer (not pre-cooked) it will take about 1 ½ hours to cook and you will need to add water about an hour into simmering on low heat.

4. Combine cooked farro, chickpeas and butternut squash with a dollop of olive oil (1 to 2 tablespoons) and a pinch of salt and pepper.

5. Wash kale. Coarsely chop into 2-to 3-inch pieces. Turn sautee pan on high heat, add small drop of olive oil. Flash sautee kale until partially wilted, or as you like to eat.

6. Plate salad with kale loosely bunched on bottom. Add farro salad on top. Crumble feta on top and add pumpkin seeds and drizzle with balsamic reduction.  

Recipe by Gourmet Dining