2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for serving
1 onion, finely diced
1 clove garlic, finely diced
150g (1 cup) freekeh
1 tablespoon ras el hanout spice powder
1 teaspoon dried chilli flakes
270 ml vegetable stock
½ head of cauliflower florets, split
1 x 400g can butter beans, drained and rinsed
¼ cup pistachio nuts
Pomegranate seeds to sprinkle
Coriander leaves to serve
Soak the freekeh in cold water for 5 minutes. Drain in a sieve and rinse under cold running water. Drain well.
Heat a large deep sided pan or pot on medium heat. Add the olive oil and when warmed, add diced onion and saute, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes until soft and golden. Add the garlic and saute for a further 2-3 minutes.
Add the drained freekeh, ras el hanout and chilli flakes to the onion mix. Pour in the stock and add ground black pepper to taste. Stir well. Bring to the boil, cover and reduce the heat to very low and leave to simmer for 15 minutes.
In the meantime, heat the oven to 175 degrees celcius. Split the cauliflower florets and mix with a tablespoon of olive oil in a bowl. I use my hands for this task to get the cauliflower all evenly coated. Spread the cauliflower on a baking paper lined oven tray and bake for approximately 10 minutes until just tender but not soft. Remove from oven.
Remove the freekeh pan from the heat and leave covered for 5 minutes. Remove the lid and leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes. Stir through the cauliflower and butter beans. Spoon onto a serving platter, sprinkle with pistachio nuts, pomegranate seeds and coriander leaves.
I served the freekeh with carrots roasted in extra virgin olive oil and honey and hummus.
