Freekeh salad with persian fetta

Frank Camorra

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• 30 mins - 1 hour 
• Easy 
• Serves 6

Freekeh is a young roasted green wheat grain that can be bought from most Middle Eastern delis.

• Rating: 3 out of 5 stars

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Photo: Marcel Aucar

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Ingredients

• 60g butter
• 1 stick celery, finely diced
• 3 red eschallots, finely diced
• 1 small garlic clove, chopped
• 1 bay leaf
• 200g freekeh, rinsed under cold water
• 6 green onions, finely sliced
• 1 cup flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
• 1/2 cup mint, roughly chopped
• 100g roasted hazelnuts, skinned and roughly chopped
• 100g currants
• 2 lemons, juiced
• 100ml extra virgin olive oil
• 300g Persian feta

Method

Place butter, celery, eschallots, garlic and bay leaf in a medium-sized saucepan, and sweat vegetables over a low heat for 10 minutes. Add freekeh to the pan and stir to ensure the grain is coated with butter. Add 230ml of water to the pan, bring to boil and cover with a lid.

Continue to cook on a low heat on the stovetop. Check after 12 minutes and taste a small amount - the larger the grain, the longer the cooking time. When sufficiently cooked (soft but still al dente), remove freekeh from the pan and spread out on a large plate to cool quickly without overcooking. When cold, it can be kept in an airtight container for two days.

To assemble the salad, mix green onions, chopped herbs, hazelnuts and currants with the freekah. Mix lemon juice and oil, dress the salad, crumble the feta over and serve.

Salad of freekeh with pickled red onion, cherries, toasted walnuts and mint

Karen Martini

all details

• 30 mins - 1 hour 
• Easy 
• Middle Eastern 
• Serves 6

Freekeh is a nutritious grain made from roasted green wheat, with a nutty and smoky flavour. With high levels of protein, minerals, vitamins and fibre, but low in carbs, freekeh is ideal in salads such as this or, with labna and zaatar, it also goes well with poultry and lamb.

• Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

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Fragrant spices and fresh herbs add zext to this salad.Photo: Marina Oliphant

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Ingredients

1 red onion

Pinch salt

Juice of one lemon

300g wholegrain freekeh (available from health-food shops, markets and speciality stores)

1 cinnamon stick

100ml extra-virgin olive oil

Flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ bunch watercress, roughly chopped (optional)

½ bunch mint, leaves picked

½ bunch parsley, leaves picked

150g fresh cherries, pitted and halved

60g toasted walnuts tossed in a little oil, seasoned and chopped

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Method

1. Finely slice the red onion and sprinkle with salt and a little of the lemon juice.

2. Boil freekeh in plenty of water with the cinnamon stick. Simmer until soft, about 45-60 minutes. Drain well.

3. Dress the warm freekeh with olive oil and the remaining lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

4. Once cooled, toss the red onion, watercress, mint, parsley and cherries through the freekeh. Pile on a serving platter, top with the walnuts, drizzle the pomegranate molasses over and serve.

Salad of freekeh with pickled red onion, cherries, toasted walnuts and mint

Karen Martini

all details

• 30 mins - 1 hour 
• Easy 
• Middle Eastern 
• Serves 6

Freekeh is a nutritious grain made from roasted green wheat, with a nutty and smoky flavour. With high levels of protein, minerals, vitamins and fibre, but low in carbs, freekeh is ideal in salads such as this or, with labna and zaatar, it also goes well with poultry and lamb.

• Rating: 2.5 out of 5 stars

  Reader ratings (2)
 
• Contains: Be the first to comment

Fragrant spices and fresh herbs add zext to this salad.Photo: Marina Oliphant

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Ingredients

1 red onion

Pinch salt

Juice of one lemon

300g wholegrain freekeh (available from health-food shops, markets and speciality stores)

1 cinnamon stick

100ml extra-virgin olive oil

Flaked salt and freshly ground black pepper

½ bunch watercress, roughly chopped (optional)

½ bunch mint, leaves picked

½ bunch parsley, leaves picked

150g fresh cherries, pitted and halved

60g toasted walnuts tossed in a little oil, seasoned and chopped

2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Method

1. Finely slice the red onion and sprinkle with salt and a little of the lemon juice.

2. Boil freekeh in plenty of water with the cinnamon stick. Simmer until soft, about 45-60 minutes. Drain well.

3. Dress the warm freekeh with olive oil and the remaining lemon juice and season well with salt and pepper. Set aside to cool.

4. Once cooled, toss the red onion, watercress, mint, parsley and cherries through the freekeh. Pile on a serving platter, top with the walnuts, drizzle the pomegranate molasses over and serve.

Freekeh with cauliflower, pomegranate and mint

Ingredients

• 300g freekeh
• 7 tbsp olive oil
• 1 brown onion, finely chopped
• 500ml vegetable stock
• 1/2 cauliflower, broken into small florets
• 1/4 cup plain flour
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 400g tin lentils, rinsed and drained
• 1 pomegranate
• 1 cup walnuts, toasted
• 1/3 cup mint
• 1/3 cup coriander
• 1/3 cup basil
• 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp pomegranate molasses

Method

Soak freekeh for five minutes, then drain. Heat one tablespoon oil in a medium pot, saute onion until softened, add freekeh then add stock and cook for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut cauliflower into small florets and place in a large bowl. Mix flour, cumin and coriander. Toss cauliflower in spiced flour to coat. Heat remaining oil in large frypan. Add spice-dusted cauliflower and fry over medium-low heat for 10 minutes until cauliflower is soft and golden. Add extra oil if required.

Toss with freekeh, scatter over drained lentils, pomegranate seeds, toasted walnuts and fresh herbs. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and pomegranate molasses and serve.