Scott Conant’s Farro with Roasted Root Vegetables, Spiced Almond and Pomegranate

For the farro, bring water to a boil in an 8-quart sauce pot and reduce to simmer.  Add the farro and cook for 25-30 minutes until tender. Strain and reserve chilled.
 
Heat the oven to 350°F.

 
For the almonds, in a small bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, paprika and cayenne. Break the star anise into a couple pieces and toss them with the rest of the spices as well.
 
Whisk the egg white in a large bowl until frothy. Toss the almonds with the egg white to evenly coat then toss with the spice mixture.
 
Shake coated almonds in a large colander to shake off excess spice mix.
 
Spread the nuts out on the baking sheet in a single flat layer and bake for 25 minutes, stirring the nuts about halfway through to redistribute the coating. Let the nuts cool on the sheet tray. Remove the pieces of star anise and discard.
 
Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.
 
Peel all of the vegetables and cut them into large rectangles 1-inch long and 1/4-inch wide. Coat each of the vegetables separately in olive oil and season with salt. Roast each vegetable individually on a sheet pan until cooked through.
 
Combine all ingredients for the dressing in a bowl. Emulsify with a hand blender until creamy.
 
Toss all ingredients except for the pomegranate seeds in a bowl with 3/4 of the dressing and season with salt to taste. Plate salad in a large bowl and garnish with pomegranate seeds. Drizzle with extra dressing and grate extra cheese on top if desired.

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