freekeh salad with smoky eggplant yoghurt
Julia Busuttil Nishimura
4
The smoky eggplant yoghurt is the base of this salad and really ties everything together. Serve with some slow cooked lamb shoulder and warmed flat breads for a real feast. If you don’t have an open flame to grill the eggplants, roast them in a hot oven instead. If pomegranates are in season, scatter over the jewel-like seeds, otherwise barberries are a great choice, adding a little extra sweet and sour note to the salad.
Ingredients
Freekeh Salad
- 200g Mount Zero Cracked Freekeh
- 100g golden raisins
- Large handful each of coriander, parsley, and mint, chopped
- 50g pistachios, lightly toasted
- 1 tsp sumac
- 1 tbsp cumin seeds, toasted
- 2 tbsp white sesame seeds, toasted
- 1 shallot, finely sliced
- 2 tbsp Mount Zero Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 1 tbsp pomegranate molasses
- Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt, to taste
Smoky Eggplant Yoghurt
- 2 medium eggplants, around 600g
- 200g natural/Greek yoghurt
- 1 clove garlic, finely grated
- 1 tbsp Mount Zero Frantoio Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of ½ a lemon
- Mount Zero Pink Lake Salt, to taste
- Handful of barberries or pomegranate seeds, to serve
Directions
Smoky Eggplant Yoghurt
- Grill the eggplants whole over an open flame until they begin to collapse and their skins are blackened, around 10 minutes.
- Sit them in a sieve over a bowl and allow to drain. When cool enough to handle, peel away the skin and scoop out the flesh.
- Blitz the flesh with the remaining ingredients in a food processor until smooth and creamy. Season to taste. Set aside.
Freekeh Salad
- Cook the freekeh in a pot of boiling water until tender, around 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. Place in a bowl along with the remaining ingredients. Toss to combine and season to taste.
To Serve
- Spoon most of the eggplant yoghurt onto the base of a serving plate and tumble the salad on top. Scatter with some barberries or pomegranate seeds and serve with the remaining eggplant yoghurt.
