Freekeh Salad with Salmon

I've been struck down with gastritis, which is making eating rather unpleasant, so these are meals from a long time ago that I never got around to posting.

This was a yummy salad I took to work one day.

200g freekeh
½ large onion
1 head garlic, halved crosswise
2 sprigs thyme
1 sprig rosemary
1 bay leaf
salt
4 skin-on salmon fillets
1 tbsp oil
6 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp finely grated lemon zest
juice 1 lemon
60g plain Greek yogurt
4 small cucumbers, cut into rounds
bunch fresh dill, chopped
bunch fresh mint, chopped
bunch fresh parsley, chopped

Put the onion, garlic, thyme, rosemary, and bay leaf in a piece of cheesecloth; tie closed with kitchen twine. Drop the sachet into a large pan of boiling water, add the freekeh, and cook according to packet instructions.

Season the flesh side of salmon with salt. Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium-high heat and cook the salmon, starting skin side down, until golden brown, about 4 mins per side for medium-rare. Transfer salmon to a platter and leave to rest for 15 mins.


Whisk together the olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice, and yogurt in a large bowl. Add the cooled freekeh, season with salt, and toss to coat. Mix in the cucumbers, dill, mint, and parsley. Divide among 4 plates. Flake salmon into bite-size pieces and arrange over the top.


Black Bean Freekeh Bowl

This lovely salad reminded me of the flavours of the summer. 

Black Bean Freekeh Bowl (from Naturally Ella)
(Serves 2)

100g uncooked freekeh
1 tbsp oil
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 green or red pepper, chopped
60g sweet corn
juice 1 lime
60g cooked black beans
½ tsp cumin
¼ tsp chilli powder
¼ tsp salt
handful cherry tomatoes, halved
2 tbsp chopped coriander
1 ripe avocado
hot sauce
20g crumbled feta cheese

Bring a pan of water to the boil, add the freekeh and cook according to packet instructions.

Meanwhile, heat a large frying pan over a medium heat. Add the oil, followed by the onion, pepper and corn. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions are translucent and the corn is cooked through, 7 to 8 mins.

Add the lime juice, stirring up some of the bits and pieces stuck to the pan. Add the black beans, cumin, chilli powder and salt; cook for 3 to 4 mins more, until the beans are heated through. Remove from the heat, then stir in the tomatoes and coriander.

Divide the freekeh and black bean mixture into two bowls. Serve topped with sliced avocado, a drizzle of hot sauce and some crumbled cheese.

Roast Duck Breast with Herbed Freekeh and Preserved Lemon

This was an incredibly tasty dish and I was so excited that I managed to cook the duck perfectly! This looks like a complicated recipe but actually it's deceptively simple.

Roast Duck Breast with Herbed Freekeh and Preserved Lemon
(Serves 4)

200g freekeh
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp olive oil
4 duck breasts, skin scored
1 tbsp oil
2 small preserved lemons, cut into tiny dice
50g dried figs, chopped
handful chopped mint
handful chopped parsley
juice 1 1/2 lemons
125ml extra virgin olive oil
pepper

Cook the freekeh according to packet instructions adding the olive oil and salt to the water.

Preheat the oven to 220C. Season the duck breasts and heat a frying pan until very hot. Fry the duck, skin side down, in the oil until golden. Turn the breasts over and cook until coloured, this should take a couple of mins. Put the duck into a roasting tin and roast for 7-9 mins. When cooked, remove to a plate, cover with foil, insulate with a few tea towels and leave to rest for about 5-10 mins.

Toss the lion rind with the freekeh, along with the figs, herbs, lemon juice and olive oil. Season with pepper.

Slice the duck breast and toss with the fresh. Serve with a green salad.

Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Freekeh Salad

This is what I did with the other half of the aubergine I used for the pizza. I made a lovely tasty salad, full of delicious grains and aubergine. Really simple to make and a lovely lunchbox filler

Roasted Aubergine and Chickpea Freekeh Salad (from Allotment 2 Kitchen)
(Serves 1)

50g freekeh
1/2 aubergine, cut into chunks
cooking spray
1/2 small tin chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 spring onion, sliced
1 tbsp chopped coriander
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat the oven to 200C.

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the freekeh according to packet instructions. Drain, run under the cold tap and drain again well.

Put the aubergine on a baking tray, season and spray with cooking spray, tossing to coat. Cook in the oven until golden, about 10 mins.

Put the freekeh, aubergine, chickpeas, spring onion and coriander into a bowl or lunch box and drizzle with the olive oil, stir well to combine and serve.

Freekeh with Peppers, Beans and Sweetcorn

This was lovely and flavourful and I felt like I was getting lots of veg from the peppers, beans and sweetcorn. The freekeh also gave it a lovely texture.

Smokey Freekeh with Peppers, Beans and Sweetcorn (from Veg Hog)
(Serves 4)

250g freekeh

1 tbsp vegetable stock powder

1-2 bay leaves

2 peppers, chopped

1 onion, chopped

400g tin red kidney beans

1 200gish tin sweetcorn

1 tbsp olive oil

½-1 tsp chilli flakes

1 tsp smoked paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

salt

4 leaves wild garlic

Rinse the freekeh and cook it in water with added vegetable stock powder and bay leaves until it's done. This takes about 20 mins.

Add the peppers and onion to pan with a little oil and cook for 5 mins.

Add the beans and sweetcorn to the pan with the spices and salt. Let it cook down for a few mins.

Add the freekeh to the vegetables and cook for 5 mins more. Add the wild garlic and pack into a lunchbox or serve.

Freekeh and Prawn Salad

I'm having a go with those new grains again, one of them is freekeh, it has an interesting texture a bit like bulgar wheat but is a bit nuttier and chewier. This is a simple salad using up ingredients from the fridge.

Freekeh and Prawn Salad (from Appetite Magazine)

(Serves 2)

100g freekeh

1 tbsp oil

1/2 onion, chopped

130ml veg stock

200g tenderstem broccoli

150g cooked king prawns

handful fresh parsley, chopped

1 lemon

Soak the freekeh in cold water for 5 mins, drain, rinse under the cold tap and allow to drain well. Heat the oil in a large pan and add the onion and saute over a medium heat for about 5 mins until softened.

Add the freekeh and veg stock and simmer gently for 20-30 mins. Add the broccoli, cover and cook for a few mins. Turn the heat off and allow everything to steam under the lid for another five mins. Leave to cool.

Stir in the prawns, parsley and a good squeeze of lemon juice, season to taste and serve with a spoonful of natural yoghurt or some toasted pine nuts.

Freekeh Pilaf

I had a little of the carrot and lentil salad I made a couple of weeks ago leftover that I froze and the cookbook suggested serving it with the freekeh pilaf. They both worked really well together, this was my first try of freekeh and I really enjoyed it, so there's another grain I can add to my arsenal!

Freekeh Pilaf (from Plenty - Ottolenghi)

(Serves 2-4)

2 medium onions, thinly sliced

25g butter

1 tbsp oil

150g freekeh

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground allspice

270ml vegetable stock

100g Greek yoghurt

1 1/2 tsp lemon juice

1/2 garlic clove, crushed

10g parsley, finely chopped

10g mint, finely chopped

10g coriander, finely chopped

2 tbsp pine nuts, toasted and roughly broken

salt and pepper

Bring a pan of water to the boil and cook the freekeh according to packet instructions. Drain and run under the cold tap.

Meanwhile, place the onions, butter and oil in a large pan and sauté at a medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15  mins, or until soft and golden.

Add the freekeh and spices to the onions, and some salt and pepper. Stir well. Remove the pan from the heat and leave it to cool for about 5 mins. 

While you wait, mix the yoghurt with the lemon juice, garlic and some salt.

Stir the herbs into the warm (not hot) pilafand serve with the yoghurt dolloped on top and sprinkled with pine nuts.