Name: Cracked wheat and freekah salad with barberry dressing
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 65 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: 40 ml olive oil; 2 celery stalks, finely chopped; 2 golden shallots, finely chopped; 1 garlic clove, finely chopped; 80 gm (½ cup) coarse bulghur (cracked wheat; see note); 60 gm butter, coarsely chopped; 85 gm (½ cup) freekah, soaked in 185ml water for 30 minutes, drained (see note); 1½ tsp finely chopped preserved lemon rind; 60 gm almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped; ½ cup each coarsely chopped mint and flat-leaf parsley; Juice of 1 lemon; 1 tsp chardonnay vinegar; 6 labne (about 120 gm; see note); Barberry dressing; 30 gm (1/3 cup) barberries (see note); 60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Cracked wheat and freekah salad with barberry dressing

Australian Gourmet Traveller recipe for cracked wheat and freekah salad with barberry dressing by Andrew McConnell from Melbourne restaurant Cumulus Inc.

Serves 4

Prep

15M

Cook

50M

Total

1H 5M

“Of the many shared plates I’ve enjoyed at Cumulus Inc, the most intriguing was the cracked wheat and freekah salad with barberry dressing. Will chef Andrew McConnell share the recipe so I can try it at home?”

Leah Thompson, Brunswick East, Vic

To request a recipe, write to Fare Exchange, , GPO Box 4088, Sydney, NSW 2001, or email us. All requests should include the restaurant’s name and address or business card, as well as your name and address.

Ingredients

40 ml olive oil

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

2 golden shallots, finely chopped

1 garlic clove, finely chopped

80 gm (½ cup) coarse bulghur (cracked wheat; see note)

60 gm butter, coarsely chopped

85 gm (½ cup) freekah, soaked in 185ml water for 30 minutes, drained (see note)

1½ tsp finely chopped preserved lemon rind

60 gm almonds, roasted and coarsely chopped

½ cup each coarsely chopped mint and flat-leaf parsley

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp chardonnay vinegar

6 labne (about 120 gm; see note)

Barberry dressing

30 gm (1/3 cup) barberries (see note)

60 ml (¼ cup) extra-virgin olive oil

Method

Main

1.Preheat oven to 160C. Heat 2 tsp oil in an ovenproof saucepan over medium heat, add half the celery, half the shallot and half the garlic and sauté until soft (5-7 minutes). Add bulghur, half the butter and 185ml water. Bring to the boil, cover closely with a round of baking paper and bake in oven until tender (15-20 minutes), then spread on a tray to cool completely.

2.Meanwhile, heat 2 tsp olive oil in a separate ovenproof saucepan over medium heat, add remaining celery, shallot and garlic and sauté until soft (5-7 minutes). Add freekah, remaining butter and 200ml water. Bring to the boil, cover closely with a round of baking paper and bake in oven until tender (15-20 minutes), then spread on a tray to cool completely.

3.Meanwhile, for barberry dressing, bring barberries and 120ml water to the boil in a saucepan over medium heat, remove from heat, strain through a fine sieve, reserve liquid and barberries separately and cool. Whisk barberry liquid and oil in a bowl to combine, season to taste and set aside.

4.Combine bulghur, freekah, preserved lemon rind, almonds, herbs, lemon juice, vinegar, remaining olive oil and reserved barberries in a bowl. Season to taste and toss to combine. Arrange on a serving platter, scatter with labne, drizzle with barberry dressing and serve immediately.

Freekah is dried immature durum wheat. Freekah and bulghur are available from health-food sections of select supermarkets and delicatessens. Freekah is also available online from
. Labne is strained yoghurt cheese available from delicatessens. Barberries are small dried red berries with a tart flavour available from select delicatessens and Middle Eastern grocery stores, and online from
.
Notes