Tuscan Farro Salad | With Sautéed Mushrooms & Pecorino

Briefly rinse the spelt grains (farro) in a sieve under cold water. Bring to a boil in a pot with double the amount of lightly salted water, cover, and let simmer over medium heat for about 20 minutes until al dente. Then drain, fluff up, and allow to cool until lukewarm.

Preheat the oven to 180 °C top/bottom heat. Coarsely chop the walnut kernels, spread them on a baking tray lined with baking paper, and toast in the oven for about 6–8 minutes until golden brown and fragrantly nutty. Then remove and set aside.

Dry-brush the button mushrooms and cut them into slices. Peel and finely chop the garlic. Strip the thyme leaves from the sprigs. Heat 2 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil in a wide pan. Sauté the mushrooms over high heat for 4–5 minutes until golden brown. Add the garlic and thyme, season with a pinch of fine salt and freshly ground black pepper, and gently sweat for another 1–2 minutes.