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16 JUNE 2022
Blackberry & Spinach Freekeh Salad
Another delicious recipe from Denise Phillips For more recipes and inspiration visit my website: www.jewishcookery.com
Freekeh is a super grain, a wheat that is harvested while young and green. It is roasted over an open fire, the inside grain is firm, slightly chewy and has its own distinct nutty and smoky flavour. It has been a staple grain in the Middle Eastern diets for centuries but is now having an international revival. Loaded with nutrients, high in fibre and protein and low in fat, in fact superior to quinoa but of course not suitable if you are gluten free! Use bulgur wheat as a tasty alternative to freekeh if you can find it! Preparation Time: 20 minutes Cooking Time: 15 minutes plus cooling time Serves: 4-6
Ingredients 250g freekeh 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder ~ 75g baby spinach leaves 100g red cabbage – tough core removed, very finely sliced 1 small eating apple – cored and cut into matchsticks ¼ small red onion – sliced wafer thin 15g walnuts pieces – toasted 75g blackberries Dressing: 1 1/2 tablespoons maple syrup 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard 1 ½ tablespoons cider vinegar 90ml extra virgin olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method 1) Put the freekeh and 1 litre water in a pan together with 1 teaspoon salt and 1 tablespoon vegetable stock powder. 2) Bring to the boil, then turn down and simmer covered for 15 minutes or until just tender. 3) For the dressing – combine all the ingredients together. 4) Bunch the spinach leaves together on a chopping board and slice them finely. 5) When the freekeh is cool, stir in the spinach, cabbage, apple, onion, walnuts and blackberries. 6) Transfer to a serving bowl. 7) Add the dressing, just before serving.
Creative Salads BY DENISE PHILLIPS
A salad can match so many different descriptions; hot, warm cold, with a vast array of ingredients. As plant-based menus become more popular chefs are experimenting with new ingredients, new flavours, textures and even shapes; appealing dressing varieties and classics with a ‘green’ twist. • New lettuce varieties - Beyond the usual romaines and icebergs are the micro- varieties of herbs and micro greens. Micro greens are the seedlings of leafy herbs and plants that are harvested before they grow to full size. It is easy to see why they have become a must-have ingredient. For one thing, they are a simple way to get your five-a-day. They add texture and colour in minute dainty ways to a salad and add finesse as a final garnish. • Power Ingredients – Ingredients that are considered good health options such as chickpeas, edamame, quinoa, ancient grains, nuts, seeds, lean proteins (including eggs), leafy green vegetables such as kale and spinach, butternut squash and berries. • Cheese – speciality cheeses, smoked cheese, artisan cheeses, aged cheddar, and other branded cheese and all the vegan cheeses are entering the salad world! • Contrasting combinations – Contrasting bitter, sweet, spicy, salty, and savoury seems to be extremely popular when building salads. Textural contrasts too work well like smooth and crunchy, crisp and creamy. Combining acidic sliced beetroot and wedged tomatoes or sweet mango with pickled onions are good
examples of contrasting bold colours and flavours. • Using Shapes – This creates interest on the plate and eye-catching impact that can also enhance flavour by allowing better absorption of dressings. Shaving or grating celery root, butternut squash, fennel or carrots works well. Softer vegetables can be spiralized or cut into noodles. Simple knife shapes like julienne or dice can provide great tasting garnishes as do deep fried herbs. • Crunchy Toppings – I love a little crunchy element to my salads. Croutons or bread toppings are tasty - use different types of breads. Nuts too like pistachio, pecans, pine nuts and walnuts especially roasted really ramp up the flavour and crunch factor. Seeds such as sunflower, sesame, pumpkin, sesame and even tortilla chips can add another dimension to the salad to give the wow factor. • Quirky Fruit Salad – add caramelised nuts, artisan chocolates, popcorn, herbs, cubes of cheese. Or add berries to savoury. Alcoholic dressings, candied ginger, courgette ribbons, peaches and macadamia cream can all add a little zing to your fruity mix! • And finally, the dressing – here is another opportunity to add an element of surprise and flavour. Lemon, sesame, soya sauce, chilli, ginger, flavoured vinegars, tahini, nut butters are just some of some many ingredients that can add a distinct flavour and tasty triumph to your salad. Above is my recipe for Blackberry & Spinach freekeh salad
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