A freekeh salad that just keeps getting better
The flavoursome, nourishing vegcentric salad is one you’ll be making all year round! Freekeh is a deliciously nutty grain that’s high in fibre and high in protein; it’s made from fresh green wheat that’s roasted and rubbed to make it smokey and tender. One boils freekeh much like rice or quinoa; it’s nutty, slightly chewy texture and strong flavour marry so well with sweet roasted shallots, salty feta, and our bold umami-packed roasted pine nut & caper vinaigrette.
Apsall’s white wine vinegar is fantastically bright and helps to dial up all the other wonderful flavours within this salad. Fresh red chilli adds a spike of heat, and parsley adds wonderful grassy freshness.
This salad can be made in advance and it’s equally tasty the next day, and the next - perfect for left-over lunches or picnics.
Prep time: 20 minutes (exc. preparing a batch of roasted pine nut & caper vinaigrette)
Cook time: 25-30 minutes
This recipe serves 4 as a main course.
Ingredients :
400 g (2 ½ cups) round shallots
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp caster sugar
½ tsp flakey sea salt
¼ tsp cracked black pepper
300 g (1 ½ cups) freekeh
200 g feta cheese
30 g parsley
1 red chilli
Method:
First up, if you’ve yet to whip up a batch of our roasted pine nut & caper vinaigrette you can find the recipe here.
Preheat the oven to 190 degrees and have an oven rack near the top.
While the oven is preheating, halve the shallots through their root and peel; toss the prepped shallots with 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 teaspoon of sugar, ½ teaspoon of flaky sea salt, and ¼ teaspoon of cracked black pepper. Coat everything evenly then scatter over a lined roasting tray and roast at the top of the hot oven for 28 minutes.
Rinse the freekeh under running water. Cover generously with cold salted water and bring to a gentle simmer over a medium heat. Simmer for 25-30 minutes until cooked through yet with a faint, nutty resistance at its core. Drain and allow the steam to billow off well to avoid a wet salad. (Tip - tip the cooked grain onto a spare roasting tray that’s lined with 2 sheets of kitchen roll to cool quickly and steam-dry as much as possible).
Finely chop the parsley, de-seed and finely chop the chilli, and crumble the feta.
Once your shallots have roasted and cooled, and your gain is cool, toss everything together with 8 tablespoons of the roasted pine nut & caper vinaigrette then transfer into your serving dish. This wholesome and flavoursome salad needs little else to recomend itself, but some simply dressed rocket makes a lovely side if you wish to add some greens.
