Good Grain!

 Every Thursday afternoon I get an email from the Asian market by my house that lists their specials for the next week, and scan through it to see what I might like to buy. Some of the items are familiar. Others I didn't used to know but are now favorites thanks to taking a try on them. Some exotic produce costs more than I want to pay. Some products (like meat offal) would never jump into my basket.

Last week's email contained a photo of a box about the size of a pound of pasta. The caption called it freekeh. Its price was right, so I wanted to know more. Google told me that freekeh is a grain that's popular in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines, made by smoking and removing the shells of green durum wheat grains that is a good source of fiber, protein, vitamins, and minerals.

Freekeh sounded like something I wanted to try, and I added it to my list. The next day I drove to the store to pick up some produce and the aforesaid grain. I had to walk up and down a couple of aisles before I found what I was looking for, but that didn't bother me at all; I enjoy wandering around there.

It took several days, but I finally got around to experimenting with my new purchase. I decided to make a main dish cold salad. Four four servings I cooked one cup of dry freekeh, fluffed it with a fork, and let it cool. While it was cooking I chopped four medium tomatoes and a half cup of Italian parsley, and minced two big cloves of garlic. I also drained and rinsed 3 cups of black beans. 

I added all the ingredients to large bowl, added a couple of tablespoons of balsamic vinegar, and some salt/pepper to taste. After everything was combined I put it in the refrigerator for several hours.

Five years ago today: Travel Jewelry Roll