This is the final entry in my week long series of summer salads. It's a Farro & Tomato Salad with Basil & Anchovies and it comes (practically word for word) from Judy Rodgers.

I tend to be a tinkerer when it comes to recipes (if I follow one at all) but there are some cooks whose style and choices just click with me and the way I like to do things. Judy Rodgers is one such cook. She thinks about food and it's preparation. She gets all wonky about technique. So I know that every step and every ingredient really is all it needs to be. No more no less. I can't improve on that kind of methodology, so I don't even try.

Especially when it comes to an ingredient like farro. It's an ancient grain. But it's new to my kitchen. It's been a staple to the masses since Roman times, but suddenly the chic set has embraced it too. I first had it at one of Mario Batali's New York restaurants in the 1990s (in the form of a pan-fried cake) but this is my first attempt at cooking with it at home.

If you are unfamiliar with farro, well it looks a bit like brown rice. But it's a closer cousin to barley. The best version is the whole-grain version, partly due to all those healthful advantages. When you buy farro look for whole-grains that have been partially processed and have the brown outer hull removed. These are called "pearled", "perlato", "semiperlato", or "decorticato".

Summer is a time for adventure. But there are all sorts of adventures for all sorts of people– from outrageous to contagious.

Food can bean an adventure. Because everything about summer screams "let's eat". From "wanna pack a lunch and head to the beach" to "how 'bout we stay home and watch the sunset". Summer adventures revolve around food. But they don't necessarily revolve around cooking. Which is a shame, because some of the best and most colorful produce of the year makes its way to our mouths in the warm months of summer.

This is why salads are perfect summer food. Busy cooks are on the go and can't always put the time they'd like into every meal they bring forth. Families have conflicting schedules. Vacations are always something to consider. That cabin by the lake is a great respite from summer heat, but the little 1950s oven hasn't worked properly since, well the 1950s! Salads are the answer to all these questions. But they don't have to be limited to a few limp greens from a plastic bag. That's an adventure I am not interested in.

When the summer months bring out the outdoor enthusiast in all of us, I plan meals that suit my adventures and keep me satisfied without weighing me down. To help keep us all rolling this summer I am presenting a week of the freshest fare the season has to offer. Today's presentation is Marinated Swordfish & Tomato Salad with Sizzling Garlic. It's the third in my week long series. It's a meal in itself, and it's as bright and colorful as the tomatoes you choose.