Whole grain farro pasta with peppers, capers and fresh herbs

Ingredients

180 g whole grain farro medium-short pasta ( I used ‘torchioli’)
water and whole sea salt, just enough to cook the pasta
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 carrot, peeled and more or less finely chopped
1 yellow pepper (stem, core and seeds removed), diced
1 long, medium-hot, sweet red pepper, Italian or Mediterranean (stem, core and seeds removed), diced
1 clove of garlic, peeled and minced
a pinch of whole sea salt
a pinch of chilli powder
1 large handful of capers, soaked in water for 10-20 minutes to remove excess salt
1 handful of fresh parsley leaves, 1 handful of fresh mint leaves, 1 handful of fresh basil leaves, washed and pat dried with a paper towel

Directions

Bring a pan of plenty water to a boil. Heat the oil in a large pan or wok over medium heat then add the carrot, peppers, garlic and salt and sauté for a few minutes (the carrot and peppers should stay crunchy). As soon as the water is boiling, add some salt and cook the pasta until al dente. Drain the pasta then put it in the pan where you previously cooked the vegetables. Rinse the capers and add them to the pasta. Sprinkle with the chilli and add a little more olive oil if needed, then  mix and sauté over medium heat for 30-40 seconds, making sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from the heat, add the parsley, mint and basil (chopped or whole), toss and serve.

Thoughts, tips, ideas

This pasta is delicious served warm but can be also enjoyed cold as a summer picnic pasta. It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 6-8 hours.

Posted in: cooked,lunch-box,pasta,picnic,savoury,summer,sweet,vegetables

Tagged as: basil, capers, carrots, farro, garlic, mint, parsley, pasta, peppers, torchioli, whole grain farro, whole grain pasta