Farro Salad with Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and Lemon Vinaigrette

I am currently traveling in Italy, where the grain "farro" can be found in abundance. I've seen farro in American grocery stores, especially health food stores. (In Sonoma County you can find it at Andy's and at Whole Foods.) Apparently it is a little different from spelt, but that can be substituted if necessary. I had a farro salad in a little cafe in Milan and decided to try making one at home. Mine is completely different than the one I had in the cafe, but it came out so tasty that I wanted to write it down before I forget.




Ingredients
1 1/4 c farro, uncooked
1-2 cucumbers, peeled and cubed
20 or so cherry tomatoes, cut in half or quarters
juice from 1/2 a lemon
lemon zest, (maybe 1 teaspoon)
fresh thyme
salt
olive oil (1/4 cup or more to taste)

Here's what you do
Cook the farro according to the package directions. (If I read the instructions in Italian correctly, it said to use 70 grams per person (about 1/3 cup). Rinse the farro in cold water and drain it. Put it in a pan and add half a liter of water for every 100 grams of farro. If you use 1 1/4 cups of farro, use 1.5 liters of water.  Bring to a boil, then turn down the heat and cook for 25-30 minutes. Add salt only in the last few minutes of cooking. Taste for doneness. Drain off any remaining water.)

Let the farro cool a little. Make the lemon vinaigrette by putting the thyme, lemon zest, a little salt, and the lemon juice in a bowl. Whisk in olive oil. Taste for balance.

Put the cucumbers and tomatoes in with the farro. Dress with the vinaigrette and toss to distribute evenly. Taste for salt and add pepper.

Notes
We ate it warm, which was delicious, but it would be good chilled as well. It could be served over lettuce leaves. I think it would also be delicious with good quality olives such as nicoise or kalamata. This would be great for a potluck or a picnic because it is good warm or cool and it can be kept unrefrigerated for awhile.