Freekeh, Lamb & Carrot Salad with Tahini Yoghurt Freekeh, Quinoa, Bulgur, Farro, Amaranth.where does the list of Ancient Grains end? And where the bloody hell have they come from? Is it just me or have they all come out of the wood work in the last couple of years? I consider myself to be fairly knowledgable when it comes to food but I tell you what, these superfoods seem to be arriving on the food scene with monotonous regularity and I am stumped as to why they ever left it. Not that I am complaining, I absolutely adore trying new ingredients and I am yet to find one that I don t like. One thing I do know for sure, I absolutely freakin loved Freekeh! What a revelation nutty, slightly chewy and the perfect vehicle to carry the flavours of the Middle East and according to studies, Freekeh is really good for you. As it is harvested at an earlier stage of development it contains
higher levels of fibre, protein and minerals than other forms of processed wheat. Freekeh comes in various forms. I bought the cracked variety that takes a similar amount of time to cook as basmati rice. It can come whole and really, really cracked which require different cooking times, so when buying make sure you know what variety it is. I am not too sure if it is available at all supermarkets yet but I am 100% certain you can purchase it online (there is a link below and it is definitely worth it). I bought mine at Naked Foods, one of those new stores where you scoop your own. Prep time: 30 Minutes Cooking time: 30 Minutes $$ Medium Budget Serves 4 Olive oil for drizzling 600gm of lamb leg steaks (loved this cut, really cheap but beautifully tender) 1/2 a bunch of continental parsley
1 cup of mint leaves 1/2 a bunch of dill 1 tbs of toasted cumin seeds A good pinch of salt 2 large carrots, ends removed and sliced diagonally into 2cm chunks 1 cup of cracked Freekeh 2 cups of water 1/2 cup of currants 1/2 cup of toasted pistachios 1/4 cup of toasted pepitas 2 spring onions, finely sliced Juice of 1/2 a lemon
2 tbs of Extra virgin Olive oil For the Tahini & Yoghurt Dressing: 1 cup of Greek yoghurt 2 tbs of tahini paste 1 tbs of honey 1/2 tsp of ground cumin Juice of 1/2 a lemon Sea salt and Pepper Preheat the oven to 200 C. Place the Freekeh and water in a medium saucepan with a pinch of sea salt. Bring to the boil, reduce to a simmer and cover with a lid. Simmer for 15 minutes and then remove from the heat and allow to rest with the lid on for approximately 10
minutes. Fluff with a fork and place in a large bowl. While the Freekeh is cooking, place all of the herbs on the chopping board and roll them up in a tight wad. Chop them altogether until they are nice and fine. Heat a small pan and toast the cumin seeds for about 60 seconds or until aromatic. Place them in a mortar and pestle with a pinch of sea salt and grind until them until they are slightly powdery. Place the carrots in a lined baking tray. Drizzle with a little oil and sprinkle over half of the cumin mixture. Give the tray a good shuffle so that the carrots are well coated. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until golden and tender. Tear off a sheet of baking paper and place the lamb steaks on it. Use a piece of paper towel to dry the lamb off before drizzling with olive oil. Use your hands to rub the oil in and then sprinkle the steaks with the remaining half of the cumin mixture and 1/2 of the herb mixture, making sure to cover both sides of the lamb. Heat a griddle pan or BBQ to nice and hot and cook the lamb on both sides for 4-5 minutes for medium, depending on the thickness of your steaks. Remove from the BBQ or pan and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Slice into 2cm pieces just before serving.
To make the yoghurt dressing, combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and use a whisk to combine until smooth and there are no lumps of Tahini. You may need to use a bit of elbow grease, the end result should be beautifully smooth and silky. Set aside. To finish the salad, place the currants, half of the pistachios and pepitas, the majority of the remaining herbs (leave some for garnish) and the spring onions in the bowl with the Freekeh and roasted carrots. Drizzle with a little olive oil and the juice of 1/2 a lemon, season with a little salt and pepper and toss to combine. To plate the dish, place a generous dollop (approximately 11/2 tablespoons) of the yoghurt on each plate and use the back of the spoon to smooth it out to a nice even thickness. Divide the Freekeh salad between the plates and top with slices of lamb. Sprinkle over the remaining nuts and herbs and drizzle a little olive oil over the top. Serve with lemon wedges if you desire. If you are looking for Freekeh, you can buy it here https://thesourcebulkfoods.com.au/shop/cooking/freekeh/ If you have left over Dill, you may want to cook this: https://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/greek-slow-roasted-lamb-shoul der-kipfler-potatoes/
Moroccan Chicken, Carrot & Cous Cous Salad with Orange & Tahini Dressing This recipe was inspired by Donna Hay but tweaked a little in the Em s Food way as I was missing some of the ingredients and I also like to put my own spin on the food that I cook. My Husband was mighty impressed with this combo and it was a nice healthy change after weeks of Christmas cheer. Full of flavour and texture, it was awesome! Prep time: 25 Minutes Cooking time: 15 Minutes $ Low Budget
Serves 4 3 chicken breast fillets, halved down the middle 2 tbs of olive oil 2 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and discarded and the rind finely diced 1 tsp of coriander seeds, crushed 2 tbs of Ras el Hanout (see link below for Em s own recipe) http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/ras-el-hanout/ For the Salad: 1 cup of cous cous 1 cup of boiling water 2 carrots peeled and very finely julienned (to save time you can use a fine grater attachment on a food processor, a peeler or a mandolin) 1/2 a bunch of watercress (substitute rocket leaves or baby spinach if you like) 1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped 1/2 cup of currants 1/4 cup of flaked almonds, lightly toasted for garnish Sea salt and Pepper
For the Dressing: 2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil Juice of 1 orange 2 tbs of white wine vinegar 1 tbs of tahini paste Sea salt and Pepper Preheat the oven to 220 C Place the breast fillets on a lined baking tray. Place the oil, coriander seeds, preserved lemon rind and Ras el Hanout in a small bowl and stir to combine. Spoon the mixture over the breast fillets and then massage into the fillets with your hands so that they are covered all over with marinade. Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 15 Minutes or until cooked through. Place the cous cous in a large sized bowl and pour over the boiling water. Sprinkle with a little sea salt and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 5 minutes before removing the wrap and fluffing the cous cous with a fork allowing it to cool a little. Once cooled slightly pop in the currants, carrots, watercress and coriander. Don t toss it until just before serving as you don t want the greens to wilt too much from the heat.
In a small bowl whisk the oil, tahini, orange juice and vinegar until the tahini is well combined and lump free. Season with salt and pepper. To serve, spoon half of the dressing over the salad and toss well (I use fingers) to combine. Place four neat piles of the salad in the centre of four serving plates. Slice the chicken on the diagonal into slices about 1.5cm in size. Scatter the chicken on top of the salad and again, toss gently so that you bring some of the salad to the top (this is purely for aesthetics and not entirely necessary..it just looks better!). Scatter the toasted almonds over the top along with any remaining juices from the chicken (particularly the little bits of preserved lemon) and serve *