Freekeh with Shiitake Mushrooms, Leeks and Edamame

 This is adapted from a washington post recipe by Joe Yonan October 13, 2021.  It caught my eye because it is made with freakeh, which I've had before, but thought it had an unusual flavor and couldn't figure out what to prepare it with.  Now I know that although there are competing stories about it, the end result is that it is the inner portion after the outside of the wheat has been burned and removed.  So the grain is relatively hearty and has a smoky flavor.  

This dish pairs it with mushrooms and leeks, and was supposed to be with sugar snap peas, snow peas or  green beans.  Any of those would have to be blanched and drained first.  For better or worse, the green beans I thought I purchased didn't make it home with me.  Instead I used a combination of frozen edamame and peas, so all I needed to do was defrost them by rinsing them in warm water.  

At the end I also added some extra lemon, pepper and mint, but feel free to garnish or not as you wish.  This is a great use of freakeh, a healthy 'broken' grain that cooks quickly and has some substance.  

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (5 ounces) freekeh (I didn't have enough, so I also used cracked bulgur, another quick-cooking grain).

2 cups water

1 1/4 tsp fine sea salt or table salt

2 cups frozen edamame or peas, or combo

1 leek, white and light green parts

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

3 cups (5 ounces)  fresh shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps thinly sliced

2 cups (2 ounces) baby spinach

2 Tbsp plus 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice, plus more to taste

Fresh ground pepper to taste - just as you might on a green salad

DIRECTIONS:

1) In a medium dry saucepan over medium heat, toast the freaked, tossing until fragrant, 2-3 minutes.  Add the water and 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and bring to a boil.  Reduce the heat, cover and simmer until the freekeh is tender, ~14-16 minutes.  Drain any excess water and transfer the freaked to a large salad bowl. 

2)While the grains are cooking, rinse the frozen veggies with warm water until the centers are defrosted.  Drain.

3) Rinse off the obvious dirt, cut the leek in half lengthwise, then slice into thin half moons.  Put all the slices in a bowl and cover with cold water to remove remained dirt.  Pour into a colander, then rinse again if there is any grit left. 

4) In a large saute pan, over medium-high heat, heat 1/4 cup oil until it shimmers.  Add the cleaned leeks and 1/4 tsp of the salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, about 5 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring, until they release their liquid, darken and soften, 4-5 minutes.  Transfer the mixture to the salad bowl and let cool.

5) Roughly chop the spinach and add it to the salad bowl. 

6) Pour the lemon juice into a small bowl.  Pour in the remaining 1/4 cup of olive oil in a thin, steady stream, while whisking vigorously.  Whisk in the remaining 1/4 tsp of salt.  Add the vinaigrette to the salad and toss to combine.  Taste and season with more salt, and or pepper and/or lemon juice if needed.  

7) Serve at room temperature, or chill in the refrigerator and serve cold.