Recipe Harriet Boucher, Images Brydie Thompson
Almost any grain will work for this salad. I love the earthy nutty flavor of freekeh though, and it’s readily available at Vetro.
Ingredients:
1 cup (180g) freekeh, rinsed, drained
5 figs, quartered
3 tbsp honey
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp pomegranate molasses
juice and zest of 1 lemon, finely grated
½ cup mint, leaves roughly torn
½ cup flat-leaf parsley, leaves roughly torn
seeds of 1 pomegranate (or 1 packet of pomegranate arils)
¼ cup dried baby figs (figlets from Vetro) or currants
100g feta
¼ cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
Place the freekeh and 1.5 litres (6 cups) of water in a pan over medium heat and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to low, then cover and cook for 25 minutes or until tender. Drain and refresh under cold running water.
Preheat oven to 180°C. Arrange quartered figs on a lined baking tray. Drizzle with 2 tbsp of the honey (warm it up to make it easier to work with). Bake until bubbly, tender and slightly caramelised, about 20–25 minutes.
Bake the feta on a lined tray for 20–25 minutes or until golden on the edges. Set aside to cool.
To make the dressing, place the remaining 1 tbsp of honey, olive oil, pomegranate molasses, zest of lemon and ½ the lemon juice into a jar and shake vigorously until well combined. Add more lemon to taste.
To assemble the salad, mix the freekah, herbs, dried figs, half of the feta crumbled, pomegranate seeds, pumpkin seeds and dressing together, then arrange on a platter. Scatter the honey roasted figs and the remaining crumbled feta.
