Ummmm - toasty, nutty, crunchy and smoky - that's what my first experience with freekeh said to my palette and I had to find someone to teach me how to prepare it! Easily done in Tunisia and Jordan where the grain, durum wheat, was indigenous hundreds of years ago. I had no idea I was eating what Moses and the Children of Israel might have eaten when manna and pigeons were no longer provided!
Freekeh (also spelled frikeh or farik) is a cereal made from green durum wheat that is roasted and the bran rubbed off the kernels and sun-dried to give it its uniform flavor, color and texture. The Arabic name, "farik" means rubbed. After drying, the kernels are cracked into smaller pieces that look like green bulgur.
One ancient recipe is not very different from the modern versions, often prepared with chicken or lamb. A Baghdadi cook book from the 1200s instructs ancient cooks to fry meat in oil, braise with water and cinnamon bark. Coriander, cumin, and cinnamon are also stirred in with the Freekeh. These ancient Levantities said it first - it's just taken a long time for western cultures to repeat it! A Tunisian soup "chorba't frik", made with freekeh - a broth soup, with the freekeh acting much like barley would, is still considered a national dish.
I suppose we could say, it's time for us westerners to catch up. I have served this to friends who weren't quite sure they were ready. But some of us were born ready and just regret we didn't know about freekeh sooner!
Chicken Freekeh
2 cups freekeh
2 chicken breasts with bones and skin
5 chicken thighs, boneless
1 yellow onion, quartered
3 cinnamons sticks
4 bay leaves
6 cardamom pods
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 red onion, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 pound ground beef or lamb
2 teaspoons 7 Spice chicken seasoning
3 tablespoons butter
1/2 cups skinned whole almonds, or slivered
1/2 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
-Rinse the freekeh in a strainer and set aside.
-Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in bottom of a pot and heat until shimmery. Add the chicken pieces and brown over medium-high heat until browned on both sides. Cover the chicken with water and add the yellow onion, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves, cardamom and 1 teaspoon of salt. Cover with lid and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
-Remove chicken from the pot, reserving liquid and set aside until chicken is cool enough to handle. Remove the skin and break the meat into large pieces, removing the bones.
-Bring the reserved chicken stock back to a slow simmer. Add more purchased chicken stock if needed to equal 4 1/2 cups or add water and rich bouillon.
-Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan and add the red onion. Saute until beginning to soften, then add the lamb or beef and cook until browned. Stir in the cleaned freekeh. Add the 1 teaspoon of 7 Spice chicken seasoning and 1 heaped teaspoon of salt and stir through. Add 4 cups of hot chicken stock and bring to boil. Lower the heat to low, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
-Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium frying pan over medium heat and add the almonds and cook until lightly toasted. Remove almonds from the pan and repeat with the pine nuts. Remove from the pan and add 2 tablespoons butter. Add the chicken pieces, 1 teaspoon of 7 spices (or ground cinnamon) and 1/2 cup hot stock. Bring to the boil and stir for 1 minute to reheat the chicken.
-Spoon the freekeh onto a large serving patter. Place the chicken and chopped parsley on top and scatter with nuts. Serve warm with yogurt sauce
(recipe below).
Yogurt Sauce:
Combine 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt (not Greek), 3/4
cups finely chopped English cucumber, 1/3 cup
finely minced fresh mint and parsley, 2 finely
minced garlic cloves, 1 tablespoon lemon juice,
salt and pepper to taste. Let chill about 30
minutes. Serve as a condiment to Arab meat
dishes.
Simmer chicken and saute onions with beef.
Add freekeh to onion/beef mixture.
Pile freekeh onto platter, place chicken
pieces on top then garnish with nuts
and parsley.
PERSNICKETY NOTES:
**Freekeh can be found in most grocery stores now (and for sure in Arab markets). It is carried by Whole Foods, Walmart, Harris Teeter, etc. It comes boxed in the grain aisle near the rice and other grains. It can also be ordered online: https://www.amazon.com/Ziyad-Green-Wheat-Freekeh-Gram/dp/B00ECMLTS4/ref=sr_1_8?dchild=1&keywords=freekeh&qid=1610730012&sr=8-8
**7 Spices is an Arab combination of spices often used in Chicken and lamb dishes. You can order it already prepared:
https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Spice-Lebonese-Zamouri-Spices/dp/B000GHJL20/ref=sr_1_9?dchild=1&keywords=7+spice+mixture&qid=1610729762&sr=8-9
Or make it yourself (recipe below) or simply add an estimated amount of the various spices to your dish to approximate the amount required.
7 Spice Mixture:
2 tablespoons ground black pepper,
2 tablespoons ground cumin,
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon ground cloves,
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg,
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon,
1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom
**The beef or lamb is optional in the recipe.
**The nut garnish on top is one of my favorite parts of the dish. Try adding shelled pistachios as well to the combo.
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