Freekeh (pronounced freak-uh) is a healthy whole grain food. A young green wheat that goes through a process of roasting, is then cracked or left whole. Love the smokey flavor and nutty texture of freekeh and like other grains, perfect in salads. High in fiber, protein and iron, freekeh is another favorite grain of ours. And when mixed with green beans and tahini, what’s not to love about this fresh tasting salad.
I wasn’t familiar with freekeh until I came across this salad in Yotam Ottolenghi’s cookbook Plenty More… already a fan of his Aubergine Cheesecake. An easy salad to make and I’ve only made minor changes. When preparing the recipe, use fine green beans, snip off the tops and leave the wispy tails… they look more presentable that way. Making the tahini sauce is easy, used fresh mint in place of dried and as I already had roasted garlic in the freezer, used this in place of the fresh garlic. Used roasted chili flakes from Turkey… not sure they are Aleppo chili though. Had no chervil, so used extra fresh mint instead. You can serve this salad alongside grilled or barbecued fish or chicken.
If you enjoy eating this healthy grain, you could try freekeh in place of quinoa and couscous with these recipes, Quinoa Salad with Grilled Peaches and Chicken or Couscous with Fresh Mint and Pomegranate. Salads always taste better in summer, enjoy.
Green Beans and Freekeh Salad with Tahini Sauce
Recipe adapted from Yotam Ottolenghi’s Cookbook, Plenty More.
Ingredients:
70g cracked freekeh
700g fine green beans, top removed
20g chervil leaves (used fresh mint, chopped)
50g walnuts, roughly chopped (optional)
1/2 teaspoon Aleppo chilli flakes or other chili flakes
salt
For the sauce:
75g tahini paste
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 and 1/2 teaspoons dried mint or, 3 teaspoons chopped fresh mint
1 large clove of garlic, crushed (used roasted garlic cloves)
1 teaspoon maple syrup
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
How to make:
For the sauce, place all the ingredients into a small bowl, whisk until combined. Cover and set aside.
Rinse the freekeh under running water, place into a saucepan and cover with 3 cups of cold water. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the freekeh for about 12 to 15 minutes. It should still retain some bite after cooking. Drain and refresh under cold water, once thoroughly drained place into a mixing bowl.
To cook the beans, bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. Carefully add the beans and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes. Once cooked drain immediately and refresh under cold water. Drain well and pat dry with kitchen paper to remove any excess water. Add the beans to the bowl with freekeh. Pour the tahini sauce over the freekeh and beans and gently mix to coat the ingredients. Gently mix in the chervil ( or mint) and walnuts, if using. Transfer to a serving plate and sprinkle with chill flakes and serve.
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Freekeh is one of those ingredients that I have not yet managed to try. Also, “Jerusalem” is the only Ottolenghi cookbook I have. So you are way ahead of me! Your salad looks delicious.
be well… mae at maefood.blogspot.com
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Hi May, I hope you do try freekeh, it has a lovely taste and texture. I have five Ottolenghi cookbooks but do not have “Jerusalem”, love his style of cooking 🙂
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