less than 30 mins
10 to 30 mins
Serves 4 as a side dish
Freekeh is dried green wheat, harvested while the grains are still soft, then sun-dried. It is very common in the Middle East and North Africa, and is used in the same way as bulgur, couscous or pearled spelt. It works well as an accompanying pilaf or a salad, in this case with pomegranate seeds, pistachios, mint and spring onion.
Each serving provides 347kcal, 6g protein, 46g carbohydrates (of which 7g sugars), 18g fat (of which 3g saturates), 1.5g fibre and 0g salt.
By Rick Stein
Ingredients
- 200g/7oz freekeh, pearled spelt or pearled barley
- 5 tbsp
olive oil - 4
spring onions, finely chopped - 1
pomegranate, seeds only - handful flatleaf
parsley, roughly chopped - handful
mint, roughly chopped - 1 tbsp
pomegranate molasses - 2 tbsp
pistachios, roughly crushed - salt and freshly ground
black pepper
Method
Put the freekeh and 1 litre/1¾ pint water in a pan together with 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 tablespoon of the olive oil. Bring to the boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 15 minutes until just tender. Drain and allow to cool.
When cool, mix together the freekeh with the spring onions, pomegranate seeds and herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
Whisk together the remaining 4 tablespoons of olive oil and the pomegranate molasses with a pinch of salt, and dress the salad with it, mixing gently. Serve topped with pistachios.