Getting freekeh about spring

Food, too, can be the source of much, much anxiety. When you're trying to be one of those people making the world a better and fairer place through being a conscious consumer, anyway.

Take this innocent-looking salad, for one.

Initially I meant to use quinoa. You know, that super food bursting with fiber and minerals that the healthy eating-enthusiasts use to improve their diets which, in Western countries, are far too often based on empty calories of white flour. But what has happened since the rest of the world discovered this golden grain, initially a staple in South America? The demand has gone through the roof and the production can barely keep up with it and so the locals no longer can afford it and have moved on to what they can afford: Cheap, empty calories of white flour. Instead of freekeh you could use bulghur, couscous or cooked and rinsed pearl barley, too.

Then there's edamame; soy beans. Soy was once upon a time also hailed as a super food but has since become rather notorious. The high degree of processing the product results in less nutrients, there are potential hormonal impacts to consider which, according to some theories also increase the risk of cancer, the ecological issues associated with the crop and the questionable growth of GMO. And then there's the carbon foot print thing. I like their texture and taste though, so that's what I used. Organic, though. But they can be substituted with peas, too - especially fresh peas in the summer would be perfect.

I also wanted some salmon in the salad. Which opened another can of worms. Wild? Farmed? Which certificate to trust? Imported? Domestic? Cheaper? More expensive? If you're a vegetarian, use steamed carrot cubes.

The choice of cucumber also set my heart racing. Domestic one, grown in a greenhouse? Spanish one, flown here? Green house effect? Carbon foot print? How is one to choose?

Uhh uhh. But especially when carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, you need energy. So, when the hunger inevitably does get the best of you, do whip up a batch of this salad. Not only is it wonderfully summery, it's also good. And good for you.

Serves 4, as a part of a buffet or a picnic table 6-8

Summery freekeh and salmon salad:

350 g skinless, boneless salmon fillet 

the juice of 1 lime

the juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

1 cm piece of ginger, minced

3 dl freekeh

1/2 large cucumber
300 g edamame (soy) beans
3 spring onions
150 g green grapes
1 bunch of dill

Dressing:

1/2 dl oil
the juice of 1 lime
1/2 tbsp dried mint
salt, pepper

Cut salmon into 1 cm cubes. Sprinkle salt and pepper on top of it and toss in ginger. Pour over the juice of lemon and lime, cover and chill. Turn every now and then to makes sre all the fish is coated.

In the meanwhile cook freekeh according to the instructions on the package. Drain and cool.

Split the cucumber, scoop out the seeds and cut into cubes. Cut the grapes in 4. Finely chop dill and the spring onions. 

Combine the ingredients for the dressing.

Add the veggies into the freekeh, pour over the dressing and finally fold in drained salmon. Serve.

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ANYONE FOR SECONDS?

      

Fruity couscous

Now, I love couscous. It makes such a quick and easy side for just about anything. But probably the best thing about it is its versatility. I guess you all know tabbouleh already? But have you tried cooking it in carrot juice and spiking it with mint? Or tried having it as kisir, Turkish tomatoey salad?

We spent last Sunday lunch in decidedly Moroccan atmosphere and paired couscous with some dried fruit.And what do you know - the end result would not look out of place at the Christmas table. I mean - that's where the man of the birthday hour himself is from after all: Middle East...!

In case you want less fruitiness, you can also cook it in vegetable stock. Pine nuts could also be substituted with any crushed nuts or slivered almonds. You can also be creative with herbs (as long as you're generous with them!) and use say, flat leaf parsley instead of coriander.

As a side dish this feeds 4-6

3 dl couscous

3,5 dl orange juice (or vegetable stock or their combination)

2 tsp salt

75 g pine nuts

125 g dried, soft apricots

100 g raisins

2 spring onions, green parts chopped
large bunch of coriander

2 handfuls of mint leaves, chopped
the seeds of 1/2 a pomegranate

Bring the orange juice (or stock) to boil and add couscous. Turn the heat off, cover the pot and let the couscous soak up the liquid for about 3 minutes. Combine with rest of the ingredients and stir well. Serve at room temperature.

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ANYONE FOR SECONDS?

    

Moroccan flavours

Harissa is to North Africa what hummus is to Middle East - each country in the region claims to have invented it and supposedly produces the best stuff money can buy.

In its liquoricey spiciness it is rather unique and works with just about anything. Well... ice cream might be an exception. 

You can also make it yourself, buy it at the ethnic markets or you can outsource sourcing it to a friend's family that in all their internationality rival UN and the Pitt-Jolie- family. Such as a my dear friend Taru from Trio Miumau- blog who has just honoured us with I love your blog- award. We love!  

Today we used it in a Moroccan style harissa yoghurt that was served with lamb köftes and carrot and mint couscous.

Lamb köftes (fancy ethnic name for skewered mince) were seasoned with ras el hanout, a spice mix widely used all over Middle East and North Africa. It literally means the top shelf of the shop, which refers to the fact that each shop has their own variety with their own regional features.

Before the Moroccan variety used to contain a special green beetle, due to its (alleged?) afrodisiac qualities, but its use was banned in the 1990's. The ingredients vary greatly from one mix to another and some feature up to 20 different spices. You could always make your own - this is mine.

Ras el Hanout:

1 tbsp corianderseeds, ground

1 tbsp cumin, ground

1/4 tbsp cloves, ground

1/4 tbsp allspice, ground

1/2 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tbsp cayenne pepper 

1/2 tbsp paprika

1/4 tbsp cardamom, ground

For three

Lamb köfte

250 g lamb mince

1,5 tbsp ras el hanout

1/2 onion

1 garlic clove

3 slices of bread

a couple of tbsp stock

handful of parsley, chopped

salt, pepper

Remove the crusts from the bread. Soak it in stock until it disintegrates. Soften the onion in a little bit of oil until translucent  Add garlic and ras el hanout. Add to the bread mixture. Combine into this mince and parsley. Work into a smooth mixture and let rest in the cold for half an hour. Shape into oblong patties around a skewer and fry, either in a grill or in a pan for a couple of minutes per side.

Carrot and mint couscous

3 dl couscous

3 dl carrot juice

1/2 onion

handful of mint leaves, chopped

lemon juice

salt

Bring the carrot juice to boil and add couscous. Turn the heat off and let the couscous cook covered until it's  done and the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff with fork, add mint and a dash of lemon juice. Season and serve.

Harissa yoghurt sauce

2 dl Greek yogurt

2 generous tsp harissa paste

1 tsp tomato paste

a dash of lemon juice

salt

Combine the ingredients and let sit in the cold for a while before serving.

Turkish delights: Icli köfte

Food sampled during each of my travels have taught me something new. In Greece one of the lesson the local food taught me was that cinnamon is not just for apple pies - it also lends wonderful depth and earthy sweetness to meat, especially lamb. These icli köftes are a fine example of that.

Elsewhere in Middle East this Turkish treat is also known as kibbeh. It's a meatball encased in a shell made of bulghur and minced lamb and is one of my all time favourite street foods (meat wraped in meat - how could it not!) . I did not have bulghur, but I did have couscous so I took the liberty of using that instead. The guests at the Turkish night loved them and one of them - Tunisian himself - actually guaranteed that these would get me married in Middle East...!

 

makes 15 or 7 big ones

shell

2,5 dl couscous

150 g minced lamb

1 onion, grated

2 tbsp all purpose flour

1 tsp tomato paste

1,5 tsp allspice

filling

1 small onion

100 g minced lamb

1 tsp allspice

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp clove

3/4 dl beef stock

2 tbps pine nuts

1,5 tbsp mint, finely chopped

1,5 tbsp parsley, finely chopped

salt, pepper

Cook couscous according to the instructions on the package. Steam until dry. Mix with the rest of the ingredients into a smooth paste. Season well and let rest in the fridge for an hour.

For the filling soften the onion in a little bit of oil. Add spices followed by lamb. Brown. Add stock and cook until the mixture has slightly damp, paste-like consistency. Add pine nuts and herbs. Let cool.

Divide the shell mixture into 3 and each portion into 5. Roll into a ball and against the palm of your hand, smooth into a disc. Add a few teaspoonfuls of filling in the middle and fold the sheet around it. Smooth over any cracks with a finger dipped in water. This seals the surface and helps keep the filling in.  Another method of filing the shells is rolling the filling mixture into little kebabs, forming an oblong ball out of the shell mixture and with a finger puncturing a hole in the middle of which into which the "kebab" is then inserted, smoothing over the ends of this cylinder to seal it.

Keep in the fridge for an hour or so until ready to fry. Heat some oil in a pan and fry in batches until golden brown - a couple of minutes should do. Mine got a bit too dark. That's what multitasking (a.k.a. drinking and cooking) does to you...

Drain on kitchen towel and serve. Naturally these are best served in the middle of the hustle and bustle of the alleyways around Istanbul Grand Bazaar... but the combination of Helsinki, fabulous friends and tzatziki isn't too bad either.

Turkish delights: kisir

Because of the vegetarians joining us for the Turkish night I had to make food that might go down their throats as well (dear me. I sound like a right bitch - making vegetarian sound like a curse word). Food such as kisir, Turkish tomato and couscous salad.

But  some of them couldn't even eat that as it's made of grain. Luckily my friends have redeeming qualities that infinitely improve the quality of my life as a result of which I'm even willing to accommodate their culinary restrictions...

 

4 dl couscous
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1 tbsp tomato paste
1/2 tsp cinnamon
the juice of 1/2 lemon
1 clove of garlic, finely chopped
6 tomatos
1 generous handful of spring onions or chives
couple of handfuls of parsley
salt

Split the tomatos, scoop out the seeds and cube them. Fry the onion and garlic in a bit of oil until soft and transluscent. Add tomato paste and couscous. Then add 4 dl of boiling water and turn the heat off. Let the couscouls cook under the lid until it's done (around 5 minutes) and then fluff it with fork. Add lemon juice, tomatos, pine nuts that you've toasted on a dry pan until they get a bit of colour, spring onions/ chives and parsley. Taste and season as needed. Serve at room temperature.

EDIT: Normally this dish is made of bulghur, but since we didn't have any, I took the liberty of replacing it with couscous which we did.