Watermelon and Farro Salad

Prep the ingredients: while the farro cooks, use a vegetable peeler to shave the cucumber into ribbons, rotating as necessary. Discard the seedy core. Mince the shallot. Cut the basil into ribbons by stacking the leaves, rolling them up, and thinly slicing crosswise. Cut the watermelon cubes into thin slices. Cut the mozzarella into 3⁄4-inch cubes.

Candy the pecans: heat a small pan over medium heat. Add the pecans and cook, tossing, until fragrant and toasted, 2-3 minutes. Add the honey to the pan and cook, stirring, until honey forms a glaze on the pecans, about 30 seconds. Season with salt and a very large pinch of black pepper. Set aside.

Make the vinaigrette: in a large bowl, whisk together 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, and 2 tablespoons olive oil, and shallot (to taste, we used 1 tablespoon). Season with salt and pepper.

Toss the farro, watermelon, cucumber, mozzarella, and candied pecans into the vinaigrette.