A fresh summer salad starring freekeh, a delicious and highly nutritious grain

When it’s broad bean and pea season, you should eat them every day! This salad stars freekeh, a delicious, highly nutritious grain made from roasted green (early harvest) wheat. If you can’t obtain it, use barley, spelt or other grains instead. This salad looks great on a large flat platter. You could also double the quantity and take it to a barbecue or picnic.

Broad Bean & Pea Salad with Freekeh & Yoghurt Sauce

Serves 4

Preparation time 25 minutes, plus overnight soaking

Cooking time 25 minutes

Ingredients
160g freekeh, soaked overnight
125g podded fresh peas
350g podded fresh broad beans
60ml olive oil, plus extra for drizzling over the salad
1 large brown onion, thinly sliced
1½ tbsp chopped dill, including the stems
juice of ½-1 lemon, to taste
? cup picked dill and mint leaves, torn just before serving
ground sumac, for sprinkling (optional)

For the yoghurt sauce
200g natural unsweetened yoghurt
2 garlic cloves, crushed
pinch of salt
pinch of chilli powder or cayenne pepper

Method
Bring a saucepan of salted water to the boil. Drain and rinse the freekeh, add it to the pan and cook for 6-8 minutes, or until the grains are just tender, but still retain their shape. Drain and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, bring another saucepan of water to the boil. Blanch the peas for 1 minute, then remove with a slotted spoon. Refresh them under cold water, drain well and set aside.

Bring the water back to the boil and blanch the broad beans for about 2 minutes. Drain, then refresh under cold water. When cool enough to handle, peel off and discard the outer skin. Set the broad beans aside, keeping them separate to the peas.

Combine the yoghurt sauce ingredients in a bowl, mixing until smooth. Set aside.

Pour the olive oil into a frying pan large enough to hold the broad beans in one flat layer. Heat over medium-high heat. Add the onion, season with salt and pepper, then let it soften over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes, stirring now and then.

Turn the heat back up to high. Add the broad beans and stir-fry for 2-4 minutes, or until they turn golden brown. Add the chopped dill and turn off the heat.

In a mixing bowl, combine the fried broad beans and peas. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice to taste.

To serve, spread the cooked freekeh on a platter, arrange the broad beans and peas on top and drizzle with the yoghurt sauce. Finish with the torn dill and mint, a sprinkling of sumac, if desired, and an extra drizzle of olive oil.

Extracted from Cornersmith: Salads and Pickles by Alex Elliott-Howery and Sabine Spindler (Murdoch Books, approx €22). Photography by Alan Benson.