Welcome to the next Recipe Redux – the first recipe challenge by registered dietitians. This month’s theme is my very own pick, a whole new grain.
I lurv Aussie grown, cracked, greenwheat freekeh. Picked and roasted when the grain is green, freekeh retains a high level of protein (over 12%), dietary fibre, calcium, iron and zinc, plus has a low GI. But it’s the versatility that you will love. As easy to prepare as rice or pasta, freekeh lends itself to a side dish or this reinvented, traditional nicoise salad, full of health and deliciousness. Freekeh also makes a great turkey stuffing as I also say a special “Happy Thanksgiving” to my North Amercian readers. Make sure you also check out my video post – Makeover your pantry with wholegrains – you’ll freekeh over the health benefits.
Hot Smoked Salmon & Freekeh Nicoise
Ingredients – serves 4-6
4 eggs, hard boiled, peeled and quartered*- Small bunch green beans, trimmed
- ½ cup cracked greenwheat freekeh
- 2tbs red onion, finely diced
- 2tbs continental parsley, roughly chopped
- 15 cherry tomatoes, quartered
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- 180g hot smoked salmon or trout**
- 3tbs small olives
- 4 anchovies
- Butter lettuce leaves, washed and roughly torn
- 1 tbs, extra virgin olive oil
Method
- Cook ½ cup freekeh as per pack instructions, approximately 20-25 minutes for absorption method. Drain, set aside.
- Place eggs in saucepan with cold water, bring to the boil and simmer for 8 minutes. Drain and run under cold water. Crack shell and peel when cool, set aside. *Hard boiled eggs can be soaked for 1 hour in beetroot juice to give a festive red tinge.
- Boil green beans for 3-4 minutes until just tender. Refresh under cold running water, set aside.
- In a large bowl flake salmon with a fork. Add freekeh, red onion, parsley, cherry tomatoes and lemon juice and stir to combine. **Hot smoked fish is prepared with heat and the fish is cooked through, unlike cold, smoked trout or salmon. My favourite choice if you live in Australia is Tasmanian Huon. Look out for their Reserve Selection Blackened Hot Smoked Ocean Trout.
Assemble
- Tossed salad – in a large bowl add lettuce, green beans, olives and salmon mixture and toss lightly. Top with anchovies and eggs. Drizzle with olive oil.
- Deconstructed salad – lay lettuce leaves on a large platter. Add separate sections on top of eggs, green beans, olives and salmon mixture. Top with anchovies. Drizzle with olive oil. (as in photo next to ingredients)
- Party time – line one side of a drinking glass with lettuce and 3 green beans. Spoon in salmon mixture. Top with 2 olives and egg quarter. Slide in a small dessert fork. Drizzle with olive oil. Now that’s my kind of finger food.
Cookbook giveaway
This month I have a book by one of my favourite authors, Tessa Kiros. Make sure you check our her family friendly Apples for Jam and drop us a comment below if you’d like to win her Venezia – Food and Dreams. This book is from my own collection, as I was gifted it twice, and I know you will cherish it as THE guide to traditional, northern Italian cooking. We have one copy to giveaway to a lucky Aussie reader. Entries open until 5pm Aussie EDST Monday 28 November and a creative comment will be selected. So for your chance to win drop us a comment below. We’d love to hear your wholegrain stories? And check out the fab new roundup tool for the other reduxers – aren’t those team leaders too clever to find this?
Recipe Redux roundup
