Chicken, Green Bean, Corn and Farro Salad

*Post by Angela.

This weekend, I faced a challenge that plagues many a cooking competition contender: finding a dish that you can make ahead AND travels well. Mark and I were happy to be invited to a friend's ridiculously cute son's very first birthday party, a potluck-style lunch. I knew I didn't want to spent Saturday morning rushing around trying to put together a dish to bring, so I scoured my cookbooks and the internets to find something I could make Friday night that would taste better the next day, and keep during the relatively short car ride to Silver Spring. This farro salad met both those requirements, plus had the added bonuses of being healthy, light, tasty and appealing to a broad range of tastes.

List of ingredients for the salad:

• 3/4 cup farro
• 4 1/2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp ground marjoram
• 3/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
• 3 tablespoons finely minced shallot
• 1 1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
• fresh ground black pepper
• 18 ounces fresh green beans, trimmed, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 lb skinless chicken tenderloins
• 3 cups frozen yellow corn kernels, thawed*
• 1/2 bunch chives, chopped
• 6 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

First I boiled the farro in a medium saucepan full of salted water for 25 minutes, then drained it. Farro is a type of wheat grain, similar to spelt or wheatberries, and has a firm, chewy texture and nutty taste. I first encountered it at Perilla, the NYC restaurant of Top Chef Season 1 winner Harold Dieterle - the farro risotto there is to die for - and have been intrigued with the low-calorie, high-fiber grain ever since. You can typically find it at Whole Foods or Italian specialty stores.

While the farro was boiling, I whisked together 3 1/2 tbsp of the olive oil, the marjoram, and the kosher salt in a small container, then mixed in the vinegar, shallot, and mustard. I added a little ground black pepper to the mix, because what doesn't taste better with a little black pepper? I let the dressing sit for a little while to let the flavors meld while I prepared the rest of the salad.

Next, I brought another pot of lightly salted water to a boil, then added the green beans and cooked about 4 minutes. Once the beans were tender-crisp, I scooped them out and plopped them into a container of ice water in order to stop the cooking process and help them retain their bright green color.

I moved onto the chicken, first seasoning the tenderloins with salt and pepper. I heated the remaining 1 tbsp of oil in a pan over medium heat, then cooked the chicken in batches, about 6-7 minutes per side (until golden brown and cooked through). I let the chicken cool a little, then sliced it into bite-sized pieces.

On Friday night, I mixed together the farro, the green beans, the chicken, the corn and the chives, then  tossed it all together with the dressing and covered and refrigerated overnight. Then, on Saturday morning right before I spooned the salad into its travel container, I crumbled the goat cheese into the salad and gave it another good toss. Everyone really enjoyed it (although I was far upstaged by the hostess's delicious Cameroonian dishes), and I have a little bit leftover to enjoy for lunch today!

*I would have preferred to use fresh corn kernels, but prior attempts to cut corn off the cob has typically had disasterous (and bloody) results for me. Thawing frozen corn kernels saves time because Mark doesn't have to drive me to the emergency room.