Chef critique
Italian Lentil–Farro Harvest Bowls
A wholesome and seasonal autumn bowl with perfectly seasoned roasted vegetables, though the boiled grains and lentils will turn out quite bland due to a misunderstanding of how to salt boiling water.
Score: 7/10
Suggested fixes
- Treat the cooking water for the drained farro and lentils like pasta water, salting it to at least 1% or 2% salinity.
- Increase the salt in the farro's 3 cups (710g) of water to at least 2 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal for 1% salinity, or up to 5 teaspoons for 2%.
- Increase the salt in the lentils' 2 cups (473g) of water to at least 1 1/2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal for 1% salinity, or up to 3 teaspoons for 2%.
- Update the total Diamond Crystal kosher salt amount in the ingredient list to reflect these increases.
Issues
- high / flavor: Because the farro and lentils are cooked in an excess of water and drained (the pasta method), calculating the salt requirement based on the dry weight of the grain/legumes leaves the water severely under-salted. Most of the 1/4 teaspoon and 1/2 teaspoon of salt will be poured down the drain, leaving the grains, lentils, and the salt-free dressing completely bland.
Strengths
- Excellent step-by-step parallel cooking instructions that make efficient use of time by starting the longest-cooking component first.
- Accurate 1% salt calculation for the roasted vegetables by weight.
- Clear, well-formatted bulleted lists for combining multiple seasoning ingredients.
- Good use of acid and fresh aromatics in the dressing to brighten the earthy lentils and farro.