This recipe is from Scottsdale Chef Charlene Badman, who has a genius for pairing grains with humble vegetables in an exalted dish.
Ingredients
Vinaigrette
- Garlic 1 large clove
- Chipotle Chile Flakes ½ tsp
- Ground Cumin 2 tsp, toasted
- Ground Coriander 1 tsp, toasted
- Lemon Juice 1/3 cup
- Preserved Lemon 2 slices, minced
- Sea Salt 1 tsp
- Black Pepper ½ tsp
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil 1 cup
Salad
- Cooked Freekeh or Wheat Berries 500 g
- Arugula chopped, ½ cup
- Green Onions 2, green and white parts sliced thin
- Small Heirloom Tomatoes chopped, ½ cup
- Fennel ½ bulb, thinly sliced
- Summer Squash 1 small, sliced into thin rounds
- Asparagus 3 spears, sliced on a bias
- Heirloom Carrots 3 small, sliced into thin rounds
- Flat Leaf Parsley roughly chopped, ½ cup
- Cilantro chopped, ¼ cup
- Mint chopped, ¼ cup
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Cook It
- Using a microplane, grate the garlic clove. Stir the garlic and the next 7 ingredients (chile flakes to black pepper) together in small bowl. Let sit for at least an hour for the flavors to develop and the garlic to soften, then slowly whisk in the olive oil.
- In a large bowl, toss the cooked freekeh with just enough of the vinaigrette to coat the grains. Let sit for at least 30 minutes to allow the freekeh to absorb the dressing. Toss in the remaining ingredients. Taste the salad and season with more dressing, salt and pepper to taste.
