Freekeh Salad-A New Taste in an Easter Picnic or Brunch side dish
Easter Brunch or Picnic Fun—-Freekah Salad
Easter is a fun day to gather with friends and family. There are many traditions that make that day extra special. Being outdoors and celebrating resurrection Sunday with a picnic and time together is part of the way we like to remember the true meaning of Easter. New life, new beginnings and the opportunity to experience God in a fresh new way was made possible when Jesus died on the cross and came to life again on resurrection day!
Here is a new recipe that I tried last week and will make for our Resurrection Sunday/Easter picnic. It is made out of a grain called Freekeh. Freekeh (or farik) is ancient food made from green durum wheat that has been harvested early, while the grains are still tender and green. The kernels are then parched, roasted, dried and rubbed to create its unique flavor. It is a healthy whole grain food, much like bulgur wheat and often mentioned right alongside other superfood heroes like quinoa, spelt, amaranth and farro. 
Technically, the term freekeh is actually the name of a process used to prepare grains, and not the name of a specific grain variety. According to food lore, freekeh’s fiery story dates back thousands of years, possibly as far back as 2,300 BC. Allegedly, a Middle Eastern village came under enemy attack and their crops of young, green wheat caught fire during the siege. The villagers ingeniously found they were able to salvage their food supply by rubbing away the burned chaff to reveal the roasted wheat kernels inside. This is what we know today as freekeh, which means “to rub” or “the rubbed one. However, it typically refers to wheat, and generally to durum wheat. So, although the freekeh process can be applied to other grains (such as barley), what you find on American shelves called “freekeh”is usually wheat, and should be clearly labeled as such.
Freekeh became common in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines and has long been part of the food culture in countries such as Jordan, Egypt, Lebanon and Syria. It’s also become extremely popular in Australia, where modern processing of Freekeh originated.
How to Use Freekeh in Recipes
Freekeh works beautifully in many dishes – it’s delicious in casseroles, soups, pilafs and salads. You can also try it for breakfast as a hot cereal. Besides using it in recipes specifically developed for freekeh, you can also try subbing it in for rice, quinoa, farro, and other hearty grains.
How to Cook Freekeh
Freekeh is really simple to prepare.
Basically, cooking freekeh is just like cooking quinoa and many other grains. You combine the freekeh with water (and sometimes a bit of optional salt) in a saucepan, bring it to a boil, then cover it and allow it to simmer. The exact cooking instructions actually vary a bit, depending on the size of the grains and the manufacturer (so we recommend you follow the instructions on your package). Whole grain freekeh will need to cook for about 35-45 minutes, whereas cracked freekeh will need only about 10-25 minutes (depending on how finely cracked it is).
Different manufacturers also recommend slightly different ratios of freekeh to water. Generally, it’s about 1 part freekeh to 2 or 2 1/2 parts water. Some companies suggest that you cook the freekeh until all of the water is absorbed (similar to the way rice is often cooked), while others have you use a larger proportion of water and then drain away the excess water at the end of cooking (similar to how you’d cook pasta). We’ve found that either of these methods works just fine and will produce great results.
Freekeh Salad Recipe
4 cups cooked Freekeh
6 green onions chopped fine
1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
1 large tomato diced
1 yellow bell pepper chopped into small pieces
4 Persian cucumbers diced
1-2 cus parsley chopped fine
1 cup fresh mint chopped fine
¼ cup fresh dill weed chopped fine
½ cup olive oil
½ cup fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 large clove garlic smashed
salt and pepper to taste
Cook Freekeh according to package directions. (I used 1 ½ cups Freekeh and 3 cups water, brought to a boil and simmered for 20-25 minutes). Let Freekeh cool. Add green onions, garbanzo beans, tomato, bell pepper, cucumbers, parsley, mint and dll weed. Mix all together. In a separate bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, salt and pepper. Pour over grain salad and mix thoroughly. Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors combine. Put some butter lettuce in a big bowl and pour all salad into the bowl. Garnish with mint leaves, dill weed sprigs or parsley.
- 4 cups cooked Freekeh
- 6 green onions chopped fine
- 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped into small pieces
- 4 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1-2 cus parsley chopped fine
- 1 cup fresh mint chopped fine
- ¼ cup fresh dill weed chopped fine
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 large clove garlic smashed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 4 cups cooked Freekeh
- 6 green onions chopped fine
- 1 can garbanzo beans drained and rinsed
- 1 large tomato diced
- 1 yellow bell pepper chopped into small pieces
- 4 Persian cucumbers diced
- 1-2 cus parsley chopped fine
- 1 cup fresh mint chopped fine
- ¼ cup fresh dill weed chopped fine
- ½ cup olive oil
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- 1 large clove garlic smashed
- salt and pepper to taste
- Cook Freekeh according to package directions. (I used 1 ½ cups Freekeh and 3 cups water, brought to a boil and simmered for 20-25 minutes).
- Let Freekeh cool.
- Add green onions, garbanzo beans, tomato, bell pepper, cucumbers, parsley, mint and dll weed.
- Mix all together. In a separate bowl combine olive oil, lemon juice, dijon, salt and pepper.
- Pour over grain salad and mix thoroughly.
- Refrigerate for a few hours to let the flavors combine.
- Put some butter lettuce in a big bowl and pour all salad into the bowl.
- Garnish with mint leaves, dill weed sprigs or parsley.
