Name: Fig, fennel and grain salad with citrus dressing
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4-6
Ingredients: 100gm farro; 100gm black barley; 2 400gm can chickpeas, drained and rinsed; 1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced into rounds; 2 small baby fennels, fronds reserved, thinly sliced on a mandolin; 3 small radishes, thinly sliced on a mandolin; 2cups (loosely packed) soft herbs, such as mint, dill and parsley; 5 black figs, thickly sliced into rounds; 1 pomegranate, arils removed; Spiced seeds; 1½ tbsp each pepitas, white sesame seeds and sunflower seeds; 1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed; 2 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed; Citrus dressing; 1 small garlic clove, crushed; 125 ml (1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil; Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tbsp juice; Finely grated zest of 1 lime, plus 2 tbsp juice; Finely grated zest of 1 orange, plus 2 tbsp juice

A take on the ever-popular Cypriot grain salad, our version makes the most of seasonal autumn produce with the addition of figs, pomegranate and fennel. Serve as a side with spiced baked fish or slow-roasted lamb shoulder.

Ingredients

100gm farro

100gm black barley

2 400gm can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 small Spanish onion, thinly sliced into rounds

2 small baby fennels, fronds reserved, thinly sliced on a mandolin

3 small radishes, thinly sliced on a mandolin

2cups (loosely packed) soft herbs, such as mint, dill and parsley

5 black figs, thickly sliced into rounds

1 pomegranate, arils removed

Spiced seeds

1½ tbsp each pepitas, white sesame seeds and sunflower seeds

1 tbsp coriander seeds, coarsely crushed

2 tsp cumin seeds, coarsely crushed

Citrus dressing

1 small garlic clove, crushed

125 ml (1/2 cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Finely grated zest of 1 lemon, plus 2 tbsp juice

Finely grated zest of 1 lime, plus 2 tbsp juice

Finely grated zest of 1 orange, plus 2 tbsp juice

Method

Preheat oven to 160°C fan-forced. Cook farro and barley in a large saucepan of salted boiling water until tender (40-45 minutes). Drain; transfer to a large bowl with chickpeas and refrigerate to cool (45 minutes).

Meanwhile, for spiced seeds, combine all ingredients on a small oven tray lined with baking paper. Roast until golden (15-20 minutes). Set aside to cool.

For citrus dressing, combine all ingredients in a sealable jar, season and shake to combine.

Place onion, fennel, radish, herbs in a bowl of iced water to crisp (10 minutes). Drain; spin dry in a salad spinner or pat dry with a clean tea towel, then add to bowl with grain mixture. Dress with half the dressing and season.

Arrange salad and figs on a large serving platter; drizzle with remaining dressing, top with pomegranate and scatter with spiced seeds to serve.

Maxwell Adey Senior Food Editor & Stylist

Maxwell has always been passionate about food. Born into a restaurateur and award-winning produce farming family, he was strongly steered into pursuing a career in advertising after completing his Bachelor of Public Communication at University of Technology, Sydney. After a very short stint, he decided to enrol in Commercial Cookery at TAFE to follow his true passion. Maxwell started out working in some of Sydney’s finest restaurants (Est., Claude’s and Moon Park) which helped further his love of all things culinary and developed his technical ability to cook. Later, he was lured into the magical world of food publishing where he freelanced for ten years for notable Australian commercial and editorial brands. He has also run his own business where he sells his marinated olives, dressings and sauces at food markets and select retailers. He excitingly joins the Gourmet Traveller team to bring his technical and creative expertise in food to the brand.

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Photography by Brett Stevens Photographer

Brett Stevens is an award-winning food, travel and still-life photographer based in Sydney, Australia. His career spans the globe; regularly taking on assignments for esteemed international magazines, advertisers and publishing houses. His signature style bestrides food, lifestyle, architecture, design and travel. Brett is renowned for his ability to create innovative work that combines his technical, considered eye with a playful organic freedom. Inspired by design, architecture and a bold aesthetic, Brett sights the work of Geoffrey Smart, Joel Sternfeld, Gregory Crewdson and Edward Burtynsky as but a few who inspire his ideals of creative expression. Whether it be large-scale studio set-builds, location shoots or concise tabletop environments, Bretts’ passion for photography and distinctive style is reflected in every shot he captures. Brett finds creative freedom and experimentation through his many personal projects, which allows him to maintain a clear headspace through the non-commercial elements of his craft. Invigorated by the current shift traditional advertising, marketing and publishing clients are making into generating multi-faceted digital and print content, Brett is now collaborating with clients on concepts that encompass all media outlets and platforms. Even though he remains a ‘stills’ photographer at heart he is engaging with some of the best editors, sound and post-production teams and has directed motion for a multitude of OLO, EDM and tablet platforms. With an enviable professional career that has encompassed many changes to all facets of the industry, Brett Stevens continues to evolve and embrace new technologies to best serve his clients while creating work that exemplifies his talent and distinct creative style. Some of Brett’s clients include Gourmet Traveller, DMG Fine Wine, Are Media, Dominos, Harvey Norman, Delicious, NLM, Domayne, Vogue Living, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Smeg Appliances, Jones, Condé Nast, Time Inc, Rockpool Group, Food & Wine, Mercedes Benz and Hardie Grant.

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Ingredients

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